Freedom Planet: The Darkest Day
by Mixedfan8643
Summary: It's been two weeks since the Dark Stone was destroyed. But it's not all that well for Lilac and friends. Some people are afraid of the dragon, thinking she's not as innocent as she claims and a sinister man is working behind the shadows to further demonize her reputation. Lilac soon finds herself in her most dangerous adventure yet as things take a deadly turn for the worst...
1. Chapter 1: Not A Good Day

_**Didn't take me long to get started on the sequel eh? Well, anyways, the sequel to my hit story, Curse of the Dark Stone, is here. We'll be following on from the previous story and believe me when I say this story is going to knock your socks off. It's going to change everything and the ending will leave you gobsmacked...**_

_**Enjoy! :D**_

* * *

_Chapter 1: Not A Good Day_

General Gong found himself sighing rather irritably at the task he'd been given.

As the leader of the Royal Magister of Shang Tu's army, he'd much prefer it if he was marching around with the army or trying to track down any thieves, assassins or whatever so they could be locked away for their crimes. He would rather be doing either of those things then bringing a lowly prisoner its next meal.

General Gong was a large, bulky panda with great strength, tough armour and a giant shield that he wielded to perfection. He was very loyal to Shang Tu's ruler, The Magister, and he often obeyed orders without question. Gong enjoyed his position as general and he loved his city. But there were things he didn't like about his duty. For some reason, it was always his task to bring prisoners of The Magister their meals. Maybe it was because General Gong would actually be strong enough to overpower them if they attempted to riot. The heavyweight panda had often stopped prison riots when they had been attempted. He still wished that somebody else could bear the insufferable cheek and banter of the prisoners that he had to feed.

Today though was different. So far, Shang Tu had one prisoner locked up in the Royal Palace Dungeon. And this prisoner wasn't like the usual batch of scum that Shang Tu kept locked up. This one was quiet, accepting and above all, polite and pleasant. Gong hadn't experienced any cheek from this prisoner in the two weeks it had been locked up. He still didn't like having to be the one to feed the prisoner though but he knew that moaning about it wouldn't change anything.

It was hard to believe that two whole weeks had passed since the incident with the Red Scarves escaping and the whole Dark Stone fiasco. The general remembered how the Red Scarves's leader had expertly broken into the dungeon, fought him and the Royal Priestess Neera Li into unconsciousness and then made off with the scarves. To top it all, the Red Scarves had also blown up the drainage tunnels and caused considerable damage to the city. Most of it had been repaired now but there was still a lot of work left to be done. Some roads still hadn't been fixed yet and some houses were still waiting to be repaired. One had actually fallen over and crushed another nearby house before it could be mended. Shang Tu was repairing but it still needed a crutch to lean on. As for the Red Scarves themselves, Gong had been hunting them down like wild animals. He had been told they were in Shang Mu, Avalice's red city and the home of the narcissistic Mayor Zao, two weeks ago but upon arriving there, he had found nothing. The drainage tunnels of Shang Mu had been completely empty. Gong had assumed the person who had tipped him off was lying but the tipper had pointed out that she had sent a letter to the new leader of the Red Scarves, Spade the Panda, to tell him that the scarves were disbanded. Obviously, Spade had assumed the Red Scarves were compromised and they had fled to a new hideout to avoid being arrested again. And now, General Gong and indeed, Neera Li also, were trying to find the Red Scarves so they could be locked away for good. Without their original leader, they wouldn't have a chance.

Gong arrived at the dungeon and he let himself in, walking towards the one cell that was lucky enough to have an occupant. The cell was the largest cell in the dungeon, meant mostly for comfort to those who have a fear of small spaces or those who deserved some humility despite their crimes. The cell also had the best kind of bed, much more comfortable than the beds the other cells contained. The general arrived at the barred door of the cell to meet the prisoner inside. The prisoner was a mauve-skinned dragon with four horns, red eyes that seemed morbid and depressed, a slender body and a battle prowess that defied all belief. This prisoner was Natalya the Lead Scarf. She was the former leader of the Red Scarves, ruling over them with an iron fist and a fierce disposition. She had been utterly ruthless, smacking down anybody who dared to defy her and treating even her own subjects with hostility. That had all changed when Lord Brevon had come to Avalice. He had made Natalya realize that her ambition, to rule Avalice and make it a more civilized planet, was an impossible task and her life had been nothing but a forlorn attempt to achieve the impossible. Because of this, Natalya had become a very changed woman. She no longer had any qualms with anybody, was no longer cruel and ruthless and was now just a morbid wreck. She hadn't smiled once since letting herself be arrested for her crimes. It was as if she no longer knew how to be happy. The only emotions she ever displayed now were sadness and despair. Gong wondered if she even considered life worth living anymore and wouldn't be surprised if he came to Natalya's cell one day to find her dead body slumped with her head in a flooded sink.

Gong looked into Natalya's cell now and saw a rather surprising sight. Natalya had stripped off her trademark trench coat and leather top to reveal a black sports bra that she wore underneath. The bra complimented her figure, showing off her chest, part of her cleavage and a well-toned stomach that seemed too flat to be real. Gong had never seen Natalya looking so graceful before. Her body displayed more of its natural beauty now she was just in her sports bra and black leather trousers. Natalya was exercising, throwing punches and doing stretches by the dozen. This was the first time in two weeks Gong had seen Natalya doing anything other than lying miserably on her bed. He was mesmerized as he watched Natalya bend over backwards, arching her back and pushing out her belly. Then the dragon straightened up and threw a kick that could crack spines had anybody been unfortunate enough to receive it. Natalya spun around on the balls of her feet in a perfect circle and then leapt up gracefully. She kicked out again, her right foot shooting out as if fired from a gun. Then she landed perfectly on her feet, not showing any signs of imperfection. This woman was well-trained and well-disciplined. How long she had been training for, Gong had no idea. All he knew was that this was a woman who took great care of her body. Natalya straightened up again and turned around. She gasped as her eyes set upon General Gong and she blushed bright red. She quickly covered up her bare chest and ran over to the bed to pick up a black tank top that she also wore under her leather top. Gong was surprised. He'd never seen Natalya act so embarrassed before. He imagined what her reaction would be like if he'd stumbled in on her while she was naked.

"Oh my goodness! General! I had no idea you was here!" the dragon spluttered, still blushing as she picked up the vest and slipped it on, covering up her stomach and bra.

"No, no, it's OK! I'm sorry! I just picked the wrong moment to come in!" Gong blustered, blushing himself without realizing, "I guess you're not that keen when people see you…less covered up." he said.

"I don't let anybody see me like this. Not even the Red Scarves…" Natalya murmured, sitting down on her bed, "So what brings you down here then general?"

"It's breakfast time." Gong announced, "I've been sent to bring it to you again. It's fresh so I hope you like it."

He reached his hand through the bars and put down the grey box of food he had been carrying at the foot of Natalya's cell door. On the first few days of Natalya's imprisonment, Gong always expected her to suddenly lash out and seize him by the wrists the moment his hands entered through the bars. But the dragon had done nothing of the sort and this was now her second week in prison. The panda still remained vigilant for Natalya could be playing for time and waiting for the right moment to strike. Thus, he'd set down the box and moved away from the cell door quickly so Natalya wouldn't be able to grab him. But as usual, the woman didn't move until Gong was a safe distance away. She got up, picked up the box and opened it. It was full of fresh fruit, some ham slices and carton of orange juice. Normally, the prisoners of the Royal Palace wouldn't get such food. They'd mostly be given generic bowls of soap or gruel. But because Natalya had played a part in saving the world two weeks ago, she was rewarded with proper food, as well as the best cell in the dungeon. The mauve-skinned she-dragon appreciated it and she tucked into her breakfast rather eagerly. If there was one thing that was certain, she hadn't lost her appetite. She always ate everything without leaving anything behind. Gong supposed she wanted to remain in good shape in more ways than one. Natalya sank her teeth into a slice of ham, enjoying the taste of it. It was purely organic ham, the best kind one could eat. Freshly farmed and freshly made.

"Quite nice general. Thank you." Natalya said casually.

"Welcome." the panda replied, "So how do you feel now Natalya? I've never seen you active in your cell before so I suppose your mood is improving?"

"No general, I'm no different than before." the dragon replied, "Today is just the first time you ever got to see me exercising. I mostly exercise when nobody's around. You just timed your arrival wrong or I dragged my exercises on for longer than intended."

"Oh…" Gong murmured, "Just out of curiosity Natalya…do you think you'll ever be happy again?"

Natalya popped a grape into her mouth and chewed it up before answering.

"I dunno." the woman admitted, "Given how twenty-five years of my life has been nothing but a waste, I doubt I'll ever be happy again. I had good intentions for Avalice and yet they were all nothing but a fantasy. A fantasy I should never have delved in. Maybe I don't deserve to be happy again…"

"With that attitude, you certainly won't ever be happy again." the panda muttered, "Natalya, you don't have to keep letting the events of the last two weeks eat at you. Your ambition wasn't something you could achieve. Well, find a new ambition. That's what I was taught when I was trained to be the general I am now."

"Wise words…" Natalya complimented, "You're smarter than you let on general."

The panda wasn't sure if he should accept the black-clad woman's compliment but he decided not to be ungrateful towards her.

"Thanks." he said, "So maybe if you ever get out of here Natalya, you could find a new purpose. Start a new life and leave the old one behind. I think that'll do you a lot of good."

The dragon took in the general's words and turned them over several times in her mind. The panda definitely had some very good points. Maybe she could just leave her old life behind and start anew. But what could her new life be about? And how could she live her new life? Natalya wasn't entirely sure but she would definitely think about it.

"I appreciate your suggestions general and I will definitely give them a think-over." said Natalya, "So, when do you think I might be released?"

"I dunno." Gong admitted, "But The Magister has said that if you keep behaving yourself as you are now, you could be freed before the month is over."

He wasn't sure if he should have told Natalya this but since she wasn't evil anymore, he supposed no harm was done.

"That's good." the dragon replied softly, "And when I'm freed, I shall start anew. No longer am I Natalya the Lead Scarf. I will be Natalya…a force for good and…"

She paused as a sudden idea came to her mind.

"Maybe…I could be the mother that Lilac lost…" she murmured, "I always did love that special little dragon…yes…that would be the perfect new life for me, as the adopted mother of Sash Lilac."

Gong raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Mother? Are you considering…adopting Lilac?" he asked.

"I am now the thought's come to my head." Natalya said, nodding, "You see, Lilac has no mother. She was heartlessly murdered by a vile and wicked man about six years ago. Her father was murdered too. It's part of the reason why Lilac became a member of the Red Scarves. With no parents and no shelter, she had no choice but to join my group in order to survive."

"Wow…I never thought of it that way…" Gong said, surprised to hear this, "She never talked about her parents…"

"I assume she wants to just move on rather than dwell in the past." Natalya murmured, "So general, would it be OK if you could give Lilac a message? Tell her I'd love to meet her in my cell as soon as she's available. I'd like to talk with her, and to tell her that I would be happy if I could adopt her."

"Well sure, um, OK." Gong said, "Don't be surprised if she says no though. Given how beastly you've been to her in the past, she may want nothing to do with you."

"Just let me now if she gets the message." the dragon said casually.

The panda nodded and left Natalya alone in her cell to finish off her breakfast. As Natalya tucked into a juicy orange, she imagined herself embracing Lilac warmly like a mother always does to her child. Adopting her favourite and best student of the Red Scarves. What a lovely thought. Lilac would be the perfect daughter for her. Natalya had never had children and she wondered what it would be like if she could have one at long last. She just hoped that Lilac wouldn't refuse…

* * *

It was a beautiful day in the city of Shuigang. Shuigang was the green-coloured city of Avalice, one of three kingdoms that had been built to honour a huge, majestic dragon that had blessed the world with its grace and beauty. The dragon had even become the Kingdom Stone, the very thing that Avalice depended on for survival. The stone itself was no longer a stone, just a swirling vortex of energy that appeared every so often and fed new energy to each of the three kingdoms of Avalice and even the world outside of those kingdoms was blessed with the vortex's energy.

Three young girls were getting the pleasure of enjoying such a nice day in the city. Their names were Lilac the Dragon Girl, Carol the Wildcat and Milla the Hound. Lilac was a purple-skinned dragon with long whippy "hair" tendrils and a fierce amount of loyalty and love for her world. She left no crime unanswered and would happily meddle in affairs that had nothing to do with her. She had once been a Red Scarf but had left that criminal life behind her for good.

Carol was the dragon's best friend with a tomboy personality and not quite as much loyalty and love for her world as Lilac. She preferred to just spend time with her best friend than get involved in some adventure that could spell doom on them but she loved Lilac and would follow her through thick and thin without problem. Carol also had been a Red Scarf too but like Lilac, she had abandoned them.

Milla was Lilac's other best friend, a young child who had been through things no child should go through. She was magical, being able to summon shields and fire energy beams from them and she was very loyal to her friends. She liked adventuring, even if the adventures she went on were life-threatening, and being with Lilac and Carol always made her feel safe no matter what was happening.

The trio had saved Avalice on three occasions. One was last year when the nefarious Lord Brevon had crash-landed on the planet and tried to steal the Kingdom Stone in order to leave the planet and continue his evil conquest of the universe. Lilac had beaten him and sent him packing. Last year still, the trio had saved Avalice from Natalya, who had executed a nefarious scheme to take over the three kingdoms during Christmas. And now this year, two weeks ago, they along with the two Chasers Torque &amp; Terra and Milla's parents, Miguel and Lela Basset, they had saved the world from Lord Brevon after he had come to the planet to destroy it for ruining his reputation. He had attempted to use the Dark Stone, an evil gem that played on negative emotions, to achieve this. Lilac had destroyed the Dark Stone and killed Brevon. Now his body was on-board the Chaser fleet and likely to be incinerated or disposed of now the Chasers could see he was finally dead. Things had been very peaceful since the Dark Stone incident had ended. But not everything was perfect.

Lilac, Carol and Milla were in Shuigang to buy some new supplies for their treehouse. They needed some more food and Carol wanted some sodas to drink with meals so they were in the city to do some grocery shopping. Lilac had also promised Milla that they would visit the Shuigang Toy Shop so the hound could buy any toys to play with. They had crystal shards that they would use to buy the items. They had plenty to go around thanks to being handsomely rewarded by The Magister and Shuigang's native ruler, King Dail, for saving the world and destroying the Dark Stone and Brevon. Since Brevon had been the one who murdered Dail's father, thus forcing him to become king before he was ready for it, the panda had been thrilled to hear the news and was more generous in his reward than The Magister. Mayor Zao hadn't given the trio a single shard though Lilac wasn't too surprised given what had happened in Shang Mu two weeks ago. She pushed aside the thought and looked around to see where the grocery shop was.

"Man, given how big Shuigang is, I'm amazed anybody finds anything!" Lilac muttered.

"Lemme guess, we're lost." sighed Carol.

"No Carol, I'm just not sure where the grocery store in this place is. It's that big that it's hard to memorize everything." the dragon murmured.

"Maybe I can find it!" Milla offered, "I could smell the store out!"

"Nah, you'd need the store's scent first for that." the wildcat sighed, "We should ask for directions."

"Good idea." Lilac said, "Hey! Excuse me sir!" she called out.

She ran over to a stork who was looking at a Shuigang stall that sold pottery that looked too wealthy to be on a simple market stall. The stork turned his head and stared at Lilac with fearful eyes. He looked as if he was seeing a ghost and not a sixteen-year old dragon girl before him.

"Y-y-yes miss?" he asked nervously.

"You alright sir?" Lilac asked, "What's wrong. You look frightened."

"I-it's nothing." the stork stammered, "W-what d-do you want?"

"Do you know where the grocery store is?" the dragon asked politely.

"I dunno if I should tell you that…" the stork said feebly, "You might go all dark and crazy and destroy the store like you destroyed Shang Mu."

Lilac sighed a loud, annoyed sigh of anger.

"Fine, don't help me." she growled, "I'll ask somebody who actually knows me as the dragon I REALLY am!"

She stormed off in a huff, anger boiling through her bloodstream. This was why life wasn't perfect for her. Two weeks ago, Natalya and Brevon had inflicted emotional and physical pain onto Lilac. The pain had been so great that she had cracked and fallen victim to the Dark Stone's evil power. She had become a monster and had rampaged through Shang Mu. Mayor Zao believed Lilac was a traitor and wanted her arrested. But Avalician law stated that "As long as the Avalician is outside of your kingdom, no arrests can be made". Zao could not touch the dragon. As long as she stayed away from Shang Mu, she was safe from his wrath. Lilac didn't understand why people were still afraid of her. The Magister had just given proof of her innocence, including a photograph of Brevon's dead body and yet people STILL believed she willingly destroyed part of Shang Mu! Shuigang and Shang Tu had heard from Shang Mu what had happened. Of course, Shang Tu knew the truth since their ruler did. Half of Shuigang believed the truth, the other half believed Shang Mu. It enraged Lilac. She had saved the planet THREE times already and this was how she was being treated?! One kingdom and half of another kingdom acting like she was a bomb waiting to explode any moment?! How could these insolent people be so ungrateful for what she had done?! Two weeks ago, Avalice wouldn't even exist if it wasn't for her! Some gratitude!

Carol and Milla read the anger on Lilac's face and hugged her comfortingly.

"Lemme guess, another idiot thinks you're a bad guy." Carol said softly.

"Yes." Lilac grumbled, "And I'm getting damn well sick of it! Which part of "I unwillingly destroyed Shang Mu because of Brevon and Natalya," do these idiots NOT understand?! I mean, The Magister himself confirmed my innocence and Shang Mu STILL thinks I'm evil and now half of Shuigang is on their side while the other half rightfully believes The Magister! I love my world and I love these kingdoms but some of these people are really making me doubt my love for the world."

"Please don't say that Lilac." said Milla comfortingly, "They'll soon realize you're good and that you're no baddie. They'll understand sooner or later."

"It's just taking them time to get over it." said Carol gently, "I bet when Zao realizes you're no traitor after not doing anything evil for a while, he'll simmer down and realize he's wrong."

"I sure hope so…" Lilac said worriedly, "I don't want the world being scared of me. I'm not gonna life comfortably if I'm feared and hated…"

"Just know Little Miss Heropants that we don't fear you at all." the wildcat said kindly.

"We love you Lilac!" Milla exclaimed, "And we will never be scared of you!"

The dragon smiled. She had the best friends in the world. What more could she ask for?

"Aww, you girls are too kind for me." Lilac said appreciatively, "Thank you so much."

"Anytime." Carol said, "Now then, let's find that…"

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" barked a fierce voice that made the three girls leap up into the air in amazement.

The girls turned around and saw somebody striding up to them. Striding however was not the right word. More like stomping towards them, every loud footstep radiating anger as if somebody had ticked the person off and was in for the high jump any moment now. The voice belonged to that of a turtle. He was very old with a withered face, grey eyebrows that looked too large for his small head and a hard shell that indicated the turtle's age. He wore only a sash around his waist and a small hat and spectacles that like his eyebrows, were too big for his head. He had a walking stick in one hand, the stick possibly as old as he was. The turtle looked very cross as if the presence of the three girls had somehow offended him. Milla was frightened whereas Lilac and Carol weren't sure what to make of him. The old reptile stopped before the girls and glared at them with aged eyes.

"And what do a bunch of tramps like you three think you're doing in a place like this?!" the turtle growled.

"TRAMPS?!" Carol exclaimed, "Ooooh why I oughta…"

"No Carol." Lilac said hastily, "Don't hurt him."

She held her feline friend back and stood forward to greet this rather grumpy, rude and impertinent old man before her. The turtle's eyes narrowed at the young dragon.

"We beg your pardon sir but we are not tramps." explained Lilac, "We're civilized people like you and the rest of Shuigang. My name is Lilac sir."

"I don't like the look of you young lady." the turtle grumbled, pointing his walking stick at Lilac's face, "Your eyes are too close together! And you have the filthy stink of dragon all over you!" he added, sniffing the air around the dragon.

"That's because I AM a dragon…" the Avalician teen muttered.

"I knew it! I knew you was a dragon!" the turtled exclaimed, pointing his cane and waving it around like a rapier, "Are you that one who destroyed part of Shang Mu a couple of weeks ago?"

"Well, yes but I…"

"THEN WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" the reptilian old geezer cried out, "Have you come to destroy Shuigang as well?! You dragons disgust me!"

"No! I haven't come here to destroy Shuigang at all!" Lilac yelled back, her voice loud enough to attract the attention of the whole crowd around her, "Why the hell would I destroy a city after I just saved Avalice from certain death again?!"

"Yeah! Use your logic you old turtle!" snapped Carol, "Who the heck are you anyway Mr. Grumpy Guts?"

"My name is Timothy James Junipero Hamilton Franklin Turtle you impudent little brats and I will not tolerate you young hoodlums talking to me like that!" the turtle snapped angrily.

"Why on Avalice do you have such a long name?" the wildcat snorted.

"Never you mind you simple-minded girl…" Timothy muttered, his voice dangerous and almost threatening.

"Look Timothy sir, we were just minding our own business and when you're finished being rude to us for no reason, we'd like to carry on our own way thank you very much." said Lilac tightly, trying to keep the conversation from getting any more uncomfortable and hostile.

Timothy gave Lilac a look that suggested he wasn't about to let the conversation end so civilly. He was going to carry on and the dragon could tell from his face.

"You don't fool me dragon…" he said, his voice soft but dangerous, "I know why you're here. You're plotting something. That's what you dragons do, plot something. And when you plot, it usually involves people getting hurt, buildings crumbling and fires burning! If you want to make me happy at all young lady then you'll leave this place and never come back! We don't want a repeat of what happened in Shang Mu two weeks ago now do we?"

The crowd, who had gathered around to watch this intense argument infold, began to murmur amongst each other. Lilac could hear them all now. What were they saying? She was sure it wasn't good. Milla seemed to be having enough of the conversation. It wasn't often the young pup lost her temper but right about now, she looked as if she was ready to punch Timothy in the face. She stormed up to the old turtle and pointed at him.

"You leave Lilac alone you big bully!" she yelled, "Lilac's good and you should be ashamed of yourself for being so mean to her!"

Carol stared at the dog, unable to believe she had actually had the gall to stand up to Timothy like this and actually sound legitimately enraged. He'd clearly crossed a line that you do not cross with Milla. Timothy however looked unimpressed as if he was used to children talking this way to him.

"Children really should be seen and not heard." the turtle snorted, pointing his walking stick at Milla like a rifle, "And you seriously expect me to believe that this "Lilac" woman is good? There's no such thing as a good dragon…"

The crowd murmured some more and Timothy paused as if wanting to hear what they were saying. He continued.

"…I've seen many dragons in my life and they're all the same kind of scum. They're big, ugly, monstrous, FIRE-BREATHING DEMONS! And also very smelly." he ranted, waving his arms about and gesticulating wildly.

Lilac took a moment to sniff her armpit before retorting.

"Well I'm not a big, ugly, monstrous, fire breathing demon!" she snapped, "And I certainly am not smelly! I'm small, pretty and I don't breathe fire! I'm a water dragon!"

"Yeah so in your face you old coot!" jeered Carol, "You need to learn more about dragons and stop going by dumb stereotypes!"

Timothy's face turned to the colour of a volcano that was about to erupt. Presumably, he was hoping all his lava would land on top of the three girls when it happened. His wrinkled face contorted with anger and his eyes were narrow slits of annoyance behind his absurdly large spectacles.

"You insolent little brats! You impertinent young hoodlums! You vexing little maggots!" Timothy ranted crazily, practically going crazy with anger, "How dare you speak to an old man such as myself like that! And I'm disgusted you have adoration for this evil creature before us!" he added, pointing at Lilac as if he wanted to stab her in the heart with his own cane.

"I'M NOT EVIL!" Lilac bellowed, her face turning redder than a ripe tomato, "In case you didn't hear, I only did the damages I did to Shang Mu because Natalya and Brevon used the Dark Stone on me! I didn't do all that willingly for the love of Avalice! Why can't you people just accept the truth already?! Do you seriously believe for a minute that me and The Magister of Shang Tu are lying?!"

"Of course we do!" Timothy snapped, "You seriously think for a minute we believe that nonsense?! Lord Brevon was sent packing after his atrocities against our world were foiled!"

"Atrocities that LILAC foiled!" noted Carol.

"And Natalya, the supposed leader of the Red Scarves, I hear she's a dragon too!" the old-reptile ranted, ignoring Carol, "That just proves my point and how evil you dragons are. She's the one behind the Christmas Raid of last year…"

"Which **I** put a stop to!" snapped Lilac, "You can't just accuse dragons of being evil just because of her! And besides, she's not evil anymore! She helped me save Avalice from Brevon and the Dark Stone!"

"Rubbish and poppycock!" Timothy retorted, "I've never heard such nonsense in all my life! Natalya was the very woman who attempted to murder the rulers of our three kingdoms! You expect me to believe she's miraculously turned good all of the sudden? Nice try Lilac but we're not falling for that…and the fact you and The Magister both conveniently seem to believe this story just proves one thing…you're both orchestrating one big conspiracy! And you're trying to lead us away from the truth! Well mark my words young lady; we are NOT falling for you and The Magister's manipulations! So you can stop trying to fool all of us, it isn't going to work!"

Once again, the crowd began murmuring though their voices were much louder and some of the murmurings sounded like they were about to explode into arguments. Half of the crowd was on Lilac's side and the other half was on Timothy's side. The dragon girl could feel herself boiling up to the point of exploding. Just when today looked as if it would be a nice day, this obstinate old man comes in and demonizes her and now Shuigang looked as if it might kick up a giant argument over her! Lilac began feeling sick and unwanted. She didn't want to be here anymore. Glaring at Timothy, she spoke to him in a voice that was uncharacteristically threatening for her.

"Alright…if that's what you think Timothy…then I must congratulate you." Lilac growled, "Congratulate you on proving what a colossal idiot you are! But I guess we're not going to break through that thick head of yours so I'm not going to waste anymore of my precious time with you."

She turned on her heels and grabbed Carol and Milla by the arms.

"Come on girls, let's go to Shang Tu. At least THAT city knows the truth and actually APPRECIATES us for what we've done for the world!" she ranted, clearly wanting Shuigang to feel guilty over the way it had been treating her.

Those last words seemed to have an effect on the crowd. The half that sided with Timothy began to soften up, wondering if they had indeed got it wrong and were being needlessly cruel and hostile towards the heroine of Avalice. The half that sided with Lilac gave the dragon sympathetic glances as if they wanted her to stay and felt sorry that she didn't feel welcome in their city anymore. They also glared at Timothy, their faces saying "Thanks a lot jerk! Now you've gone and upset her!" without needing to say the words themselves. The turtle didn't seem to care. He just turned his shell on everybody and walked, or rather staggered, away with his old cane. With the argument now over and nothing to see anymore, the Shuigang crowd parted and went back to their daily routines.

As Lilac, Carol and Milla walked away, the dragon girl darted behind a nearby house and sat down against it with her back to the wall. She then suddenly put her hands over her eyes and cried. The tears rolled down her cheeks and into her palms. Carol and Milla knelt down beside their draconian friend. Lilac's sobs were like a knife through the heart to them. It pained them to see their friend looking so sad and helpless. Carol put an arm around Lilac softly, her face full of concern.

"Aw don't cry Lilac, you're letting those ingrates get to you." the wildcat said sadly.

"I'm sorry…but I just can't help it!" wailed Lilac, "I've fought long and hard on three separate occasions to save our world but now it feels like my attempts are all for nothing! I feel like an outcast because of people like Timothy! Some people are afraid of me as if they're so stupid and idiotic to believe that I really destroyed Shang Mu on purpose! Why can't they just accept the truth?! WHY?!"

She threw her arms around Carol and wailed into her shoulder. The wildcat allowed the dragon to soak her fur with her tears, hugging her back and wishing that she could perform some miracle that would make everybody love Lilac again. Milla hugged Lilac with Carol, the dog looking as if she was ready to cry for her friend. But then suddenly, the three girls found themselves getting a surprising visitor. Somebody came around the corner and spotted the trio. It was none other than King Dail, Shuigang's ruler. He had been out shopping himself and had heard all the commotion earlier. The crowd had parted before he could say anything so he had decided to see if he could catch up to Lilac and friends before it was too late. He had been lucky and he put his shopping bags down to approach the girls.

"Good morning Lilac, Carol and Milla." Dail said softly.

The girls broke up the hug and Lilac did her best to dry away her tears as they turned to greet the king.

"G-good m-morning y-your majesty." Lilac said, trying to keep her voice still.

"Is there something wrong?" Dail asked concernedly, "Why are you crying?"

"Some stubborn old man named Timothy just came up to her and started demonizing her." muttered Carol, "And what was worse is that everybody started watching."

"Timothy was very mean to Lilac! He thinks she's evil and refuses to believe that she's not!" Milla complained, "He's a nasty old man!"

Dail shook his head sadly. He knew full well that his city had doubts about Lilac's innocence. He smiled kindly at the crying dragon.

"Well Lilac, you shouldn't listen to this Timothy person or anybody else who doubts you." the panda said warmly, "You know you're innocent, the Magister knows your innocent…and **I **know you're innocent. I believe every word the Magister said in his letter he gave me. I know you'd never willingly use the Dark Stone like some people think and I believe that you were manipulated by Brevon and Natalya. Just remember Lilac, you still have friends and I'm one of them."

Lilac smiled graciously, touched by the king's kind words. At least he had some sense and could see the truth before his eyes.

"Oh thank you Dail. Thank you!" Lilac said, shaking his hand appreciatively, "Oh I'm so glad that you believe me and the Magister!"

"You saved Avalice and beat up the man who murdered my father. What reason would I have to doubt your allegiance?" Dail shrugged, "Also, I believed the Magister when he said Brevon was involved with the Dark Stone and that you killed him. That photo of his dead body was all I needed. I will say, I'm glad that you killed him. It was the most he deserved for his atrocities against our world last year."

"I'm not happy I had to kill him but I admit it was better that he did die." Lilac murmured, "That way he can't menace our world again."

"Agreed." said Dail, "Now Lilac, if you don't wanna come to my city anymore than I understand but don't have any ill will towards me or the people who actually know you're innocent. Just know that Shuigang doesn't totally hate you. And I promise that if anybody in my city dares to try and hurt you, they will be severely punished. You're the heroine of Avalice, you deserve better than this."

"Thank you." said Lilac kindly, "I'll maybe come back after a few more weeks pass by and see if the tension simmers down at all. I don't want to stop coming here full stop, Shuigang's a nice place."

"Well I'm glad you think that." Dail said brightly, "Well it's been nice talking to you Lilac. May you and your friends continue to do good for our world and I hope we meet again."

"Goodbye Dail, see you again soon." the dragon said, waving as Dail turned to leave.

But it seemed that Dail wouldn't be leaving Lilac, Carol and Milla behind so soon. Just as the royal panda picked up his shopping backs and left, a razor-sharp playing card suddenly whizzed past his nose and buried itself into the wall. It was an Ace of Spades card. Dail grabbed the card and glared at it with disgust. He knew what it meant. Before he knew it, he was surrounded by red-hooded ninjas with weapons of varying kinds and all mounted on motorcycles. They came racing in on their bikes like bullets fired from a gun and skidded to a halt in a circle around the panda and the heroine trio. Lilac, Carol and Milla stayed close together and gritted their teeth angrily at the arriving ninjas on bikes. They recognized them immediately.

"The Red Scarves!" Lilac snarled.

"Just when I thought this day couldn't get any worse!" Carol sighed.

"My brother must have a death wish if he and his team dare to come here and pillage my kingdom!" Dail growled, "Girls, we'll fight them off! We won't let those thieves steal anything or kill anybody!"

"You got it!" Lilac declared, "Ready girls?"

"Aye-aye captain!" Carol exclaimed.

"For Shuigang!" Milla cried.

The girls bent down into battle-ready stances with Dail doing just the same. The Red Scarves got off of their bikes and prepared to do battle. Before anything could happen though, somebody emerged from behind the ninjas and stepped forward. It was Dail's criminal brother, Spade the Panda. He had a deck of cards in his hands as always and a confident smirk on his face. He stood before his brother, the two Red Scarf traitors and the puppy-dog girl that he didn't care about.

"Good morning brother. Nice day for a raid and a kidnapping is it not?" Spade purred sinisterly…

* * *

_**Talk about a rough start. Lilac's dealing with paranoid nutcases and now the Red Scarves are here to cause trouble! Maybe this could work to Lilac's advantage...but will it? Find out next time...**_


	2. Chapter 2: Red Scarf Showdown

_Chapter 2: Red Scarf Showdown_

Lilac the Dragon Girl sighed in annoyance as she eyed the surrounding, red-hooded ninjas all standing before them and waiting for even the slightest excuse to attack. She wouldn't be too surprised if they attacked the moment one of them sneezed. It was bad enough how she was having a tough time dealing with people who were suspicious of her and didn't believe she was innocent of what had happened in Shang Mu but now, for the first time in two weeks, the Red Scarves were here to cause trouble once again. Every time they showed up, Lilac was painfully reminded of her time as a member of the scarves. She hadn't enjoyed the experience and what crossed the line for her at last was Spade murdering somebody. The same had been the case for Carol the Wildcat too.

Spade stood forward, his face radiating smugness and confidence. That smug grin on his suave, boyish face made Lilac and Carol grit their teeth in anger. If they could make a list of the most annoying smiles in the world, Spade's would probably be their number 1. It was the kind of face that said, "I'm the best there is and you're all beneath me losers". The dragon and cat were just inches away from punching him in the face right now. Spade wasn't focused on them though, the red scarf-wearing panda was focusing on King Dail, who was directly beside Lilac, Carol and Milla and looking equally as ticked to see the panda before them.

"So, my criminal brother shows his criminal face in my city again…" Dail grumbled, "What's the occasion now then Spade? You here to steal any of my riches again?"

"Not exactly." Spade replied, smirking at his royal brother, "We're here for no riches of any kind, though I suppose if you have any on you, it'll be a bonus. We're here to kidnap you."

"You sick little…why the hell would you kidnap your own brother?!" growled Lilac angrily, "And why the hell are you low-lives still a group?! Natalya disbanded you two weeks ago!"

Spade stared at Lilac as if realizing she was here for the first time. His face curled up into a frown as he saw her. If there was one person in the world he hated more than Natalya, it was Lilac. The arrogant, self-righteous dragon made his skin crawl and he was looking forward to making her suffer, especially for betraying the scarves.

"So? Did you really think we'd follow an order like that?" the panda sniffed, "Hardly. Natalya's an idiot if she thinks we're going to disband! And she's an even bigger idiot for thinking that I of all people was going to oblige to that! Well you can tell Natalya, wherever the hell she is now, that she just gave me the perfect opportunity to rise up in her stead, as the new leader of the Red Scarves!"

"Sure took you long enough to show your ugly face again Spade." snorted Carol, "It's been two weeks since we last saw ya and Natalya allowed herself to be arrested."

The panda seemed to raise an eyebrow in surprise upon hearing this.

"Natalya…allowed herself to be arrested?" he gasped, "What on Avalice has gotten into her? First she tries disbanding us and now this?! That might explain why I felt the need to abandon Shang Mu after receiving the letter…"

"If you must know Spade, Natalya got the warm and fuzzies and decided to switch sides. That's why she allowed herself to be arrested!" Lilac announced, "That makes her a hell of a lot better than you for a start!"

The dragon noticed with satisfaction that Spade's face was curling into a frown of annoyance and rage. If she made Spade angry, he'd make mistakes and then she'd be able to take him out easily. As for the panda, he seemed offended that Lilac had the gall to say he was worse than Natalya. The scars that had been inflicted on him as punishment for belittling the former crime boss were heavy reminders of how beastly the woman was and Spade would not accept the very thought of being worse than Natalya. He drew five cards out into his hand, an Ace of Diamonds, A Queen, King and Jack of Diamonds and a Ten of Diamonds and brandished them, ready to throw them at his opponents.

"Don't you DARE put me below that monster in dragon's clothing!" Spade snarled, "You've got a nerve to say I'm worse than that demon!"

"And you've got a nerve to call Natalya a monster when you will never do time for your crimes or attempt to make up for them!" Lilac snapped, "The fact Natalya allowed herself to be arrested in order to pay for her crimes is more than enough to put her above you in my eyes!"

"You got that right!" Carol agreed, "And when Natalya gets outta prison, she's gonna kill you and the scarves for disobeying her orders to disband!"

"Yeah!" added Milla, thrilled to finally say something to the vile ninjas in the red hoodies.

King Dail wasn't entirely sure what to say. He wasn't sure he believed that Natalya had turned good but he knew for certain that Lilac, Carol and Milla were not the lying type. It wouldn't make sense for them to make something like this up at all. Maybe they were right after all to which in this case, he could happily agree that his brother was worse than the former Red Scarf leader. The girls' words seemed to offend Spade all the more as he was now trembling with rage, the cards still in his hand and ready to slice the trio to pieces. Despite looking harmless, they were not ordinary playing cards. They were razor-sharp and Spade had killed many people with them in the past. And now, he looked as if was ready to kill. His eyes were narrowed and his teeth were clenched. He was like a cobra waiting to strike. He had the excuse to bite the hand that teased him, he was just waiting for the perfect moment to attack.

"Well girls, you've just signed your death warrants…" Spade growled, "And to think there was a time I might have let you off for helping me find out who murdered mine and Dail's father…but not today. Scarves, attack!" he yelled.

The Red Scarves wasted no time in reacting. They all sprang into action as if a switch had been thrown somewhere and they now came charging towards Dail and the three girls. They needed Dail alive since he was vital to their plans but the girls were surplus to requirements. They could be killed if necessary. It would definitely serve them right for daring to insult their new leader. The Scarves liked Spade as their new leader since he was less ruthless than Natalya was and would defend his honour no matter what it took to do so.

Lilac, Carol and Milla braced themselves as three ninjas came flying toward them, all three of them wielding heavy maces that were laden with sharp spikes about five inches long. They looked serious and like they could do an awful lot of damage to anything and anyone that they hit. Milla was already on hand to block their attacks. She stepped forward and summoned a huge green block in front of herself, Lilac and Carol. The scarves collided into the block and Milla decided to hurt them further by firing an energy beam from the shield. The beam shot out like a powerful punch, throwing the Red Scarves through the air and into a nearby cabbage stall. The trio destroyed the stall instantly and the manager instantly began throwing a fit over his destroyed stall.

"MY CABBAGES!" he wailed, "Why do I always set up my stall in the middle of a fight?!"

His cries went on ignored as the trio picked themselves up and prepared to fight again. Lilac watched as a Red Scarf wielding a kunai attached to a long chain came thundering towards her, spinning the kunai end of the chain around in a circle above his head like a lasso. He threw the chain at Lilac, the kunai whizzing towards her like a firing arrow aimed straight at her head. The dragon jumped out of the way of the attack, leaving the kunai to stab down at the ground. She landed on top of the chain, pinning it down to the ground with her feet. The Red Scarf tried to yank it out from under her feet but Lilac was too heavy. The dragon kept the kunai end of the chain firmly fixed to the ground. She then grabbed a section of chain that wasn't under her feet and she pulled on it. The chain wrenched free of the ninja's hands, cutting his palms and making him screw his face up in pain. The chain now in her hands, Lilac swung it around, using the end that didn't have the kunai on as she wasn't intending to kill or severely wound the ninja. She swung the chain at the ninja, hitting it squarely in the side of the face and throwing it onto the ground. The ninja's eyes closed and he lay still. The dragon tossed away the chain, no longer intending to use it.

"I swear these guys get easier to beat the more we fight them…" she muttered.

Just out of the corner of her eye, she noticed something odd about what was going on. The crowd that had gathered around to hear Timothy lecturing her earlier was gathering around again. It was like they wanted to watch the fight. But Lilac had a feeling she knew why they were here. They were here because they were interested in what was happening and were surprised that she, the one who they thought had willingly destroyed part of Shang Mu with the Dark Stone, was actually fighting against the Red Scarves. She could even hear some of them murmuring excitedly amongst each other.

"Hey look! The dragon girl's fighting the Red Scarves!"

"Aren't they bad guys?"

"They are! The king's brother is one of them! And the dragon girl's fighting them!"

"That must mean she's not evil after all! Looks like we were wrong about her!"

"She could be putting up an act. But then again, it doesn't seem like her to put up pretences…"

"Go dragon girl! Beat back them ninjas!"

Lilac beamed. Finally, everybody was seeing her for the heroine she was! It seemed that Spade had ironically done her a favour! By showing up and attacking, the crowd could now see she wasn't evil as they watched her fight off the vile group of ninjas and assassins. In a hilarious twist of fate, Spade had just given Lilac the perfect opportunity to fix her damaged reputation. The dragon girl wouldn't squander this opportunity. When given an opportunity, always grab it, never waste it. Lilac curled up into a sparkling ball and Dragon-Boosted straight into another Red Scarf ninja, this one wielding nunchakus and threatening to bash her head in. The crowd cheered, all except for one though. Timothy was in the crowd, watching the fight with suspicious eyes as if trying to find a way of proving this was all an act. Lilac didn't notice him as she cartwheeled towards another ninja and roundhouse kicked him in the face.

"You'll never get the king!" she declared, "You're all going to rot in a prison cell where you belong!"

The ninja fell down onto his back after receiving a powerful kick from the dragon's booted foot. Another ninja came charging towards Lilac. His charge looked unintentionally comical as if he had thrown himself at her rather than charged towards her. Lilac responded by standing on tip-toe and spinning around in a perfect circle, her tendrils swinging around as she spun. Her Dragon Cyclone was an attack not to be trifled with. This move was one of her strongest moves and had never failed her in a fight. The ninja found himself being walloped repeatedly by the spinning dragon as he came in too close. As soon as Lilac's Dragon Cyclone had ended, she then slugged the ninja in the gut, taking him a few inches off of his feet and giving her the perfect opportunity to kick him across the street and into a lamppost. The lamppost was perfectly fine, the ninja was not. He fell down onto the ground, dazed and confused and wondering which way was up. Lilac flipped her hair casually as if the whole fight was just a walk in the park for her. The crowd continued cheering, now totally on Lilac's side. Even Timothy seemed to be appreciating the fact she was doing good for Shuigang though his aged, wrinkled face tried hard to give nothing away.

While Lilac had been fighting, Carol and Milla had been showing the Red Scarves why they were just as big a force to be reckoned with as their draconian friend. Two ninjas came charging on their motorcycles towards the wildcat, thinking that it would be fitting if her death was met at the tyres of their vehicles given her status as a motorcycling ninja too. The engines roared loudly and the ninjas came hurling towards Carol, their faces utterly crazed and manic. The tomboy feline didn't seem scared in the slightest. The crowd held their breaths as they waited for the inevitable impact of solid metal running over flesh and bone. But then Carol sprang up into the air as if somebody had shoved her up from underneath her feet. She had timed the jump just perfectly as the ninjas came hurling at her. With her arms stretched out and her full body weight carrying her forwards, she crashed into the drivers and knocked them straight off of their bikes. The huge machines with their petrol driven engines hurled on, leaving their drivers behind as Carol whisked them away. The two bikes crashed into another stall, this one selling fruit and nuts and the engines caught fire. Milla was quick to put out the flames before an inferno could start, summoning a shield to her hands and fanning it over them quickly. This earned more cheers from the crowd. The girls were fighting off an evil criminal group and controlling any damage that was caused in the fight, truly magnificent.

The two ninjas that had been on the bikes picked themselves up, only to then by kneed in the gut each by Carol. The wildcat's legs were her deadliest weapons in a fight and she showed the two hooded figures just how deadly they were. As they doubled over in pain, Carol spun on her heels and walloped one of the ninjas in the side of his head with a kick that would easily have fractured his skull had she been intending to kill him. The ninja's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he passed out from the kick. His partner was horrified to see this and he threw a punch that would have given Carol a nosebleed had he actually managed to hit her nose. The wildcat blocked the attack and then began unleashing a rapid round of fisticuffs on her opponent. She fought quite heavily and savagely in a fight and her swift moving fists showed the ninja just how heavily she threw her punches. She then finished her attack with an uppercut to the face that knocked him clean out and made him fall down beside his unconscious partner.

"Hell yeah! Score one for the wildcat!" she cried enthusiastically, "Them ninjas will never get the best of me!"

She quickly turned around and saw that another ninja was getting onto his motorcycle and preparing to drive straight at her. Carol decided to show the ninja who the true biker champion was in this fight. She hopped onto another motorcycle that was waiting to be occupied again and she started up the engine. The crowd watched eagerly as the tomboy feline and the red-hooded ninja prepared to attack. They stared each other down, their eyes fixated on one another and their hands gripping the handles so hard that they wondered if they'd end up crushing them. The bike's engines rumbled softly, making the occasional revving sound as the two bikers twisted the handles. A tense moment passed before they finally reacted. Carol shifted the bike into top gear and rocketed towards her opponent, taking off just seconds before he did. The world became a blur around the wildcat as she quickly closed the distance between herself and the ninja. The ninja seemed almost maniacal as he raced towards his feline opponent. He was eager to see Carol's face smashed into the dirt the moment they collided.

But then Carol did something strange yet amazing at the same time. She jumped straight off of the bike, and like cats are often associated with doing, she landed on her feet out of harm's way. The ninja screamed as Carol's unmounted bike suddenly collided straight into his bike, throwing him off and sending him slamming down hard onto the hard tarmac. He lay completely still, seemingly dead from the impact. The two bikes sprawled all over the street, chunks of debris scattering themselves around the destroyed machines. The motorcycles were now just heaps of scrap metal, damaged beyond repair from the amazing collision. The crowd was in a tumultuous frenzy over the wicked scene that had occurred before them. Carol just smiled, enjoying their cheers as they enjoyed what they were seeing.

"Now THAT was totally awesome!" she squealed excitedly.

But then Carol did something strange yet amazing at the same time. She jumped straight off of the bike, and like cats are often associated with doing, she landed on her feet out of harm's way. The ninja screamed as Carol's unmounted bike suddenly collided straight into his bike, throwing him off and sending him slamming down hard onto the hard tarmac. He lay completely still, seemingly dead from the impact. The two bikes sprawled all over the street, chunks of debris scattering themselves around the destroyed machines. The motorcycles were now just heaps of scrap metal, damaged beyond repair from the amazing collision. The crowd was in a tumultuous frenzy over the wicked scene that had occurred before them. Carol just smiled, enjoying their cheers as they enjoyed what they were seeing.

"Now THAT was totally awesome!" she squealed excitedly.

The crowd seemed very much to agree with her, still whooping over how incredible the scene had been. Even Timothy looked spell-bound at what he'd witnessed.

"Hmm…that dragon sure hangs out with some unusual kids…" he murmured, "That was utterly dangerous, yet quite spectacular…"

Somehow, his voice indicated that he wasn't being entirely complimentary towards the wildcat.

As Carol basked in glory, four ninjas advanced slowly on Milla, preparing to run her through with spears that they all wielded menacingly in their hands. The dog pressed her back against the wall, utterly frightened of the ninjas as they closed in on her. She was trapped and with nowhere to go.

"No, please don't hurt me!" she whimpered, putting her hands to her face in fear and seeming to cry into them.

The ninjas ignored her and prepared to strike. Their spears had sharp, flint points. Flint is the sharpest stone in the world. They wondered how much pain Milla would feel when the flint blades of their spears penetrated her flesh. But the spears never hit their target. Milla had merely been baiting them. She wasn't scared at all, she had been pretending all along. Now they were close enough, she thrust her hands forward and summoned a shield in front of her. She pushed the shield forward, bowling the ninjas over like skittles in a bowling alley. To them, it was like a brick wall had just wrenched itself free and slammed into them. The dog cheered excitedly, pleased that her plan had worked. It was a lesson that Lilac had taught her before. In battle, baiting the enemy ensures your chance of winning. It had certainly been true in this fight.

Another ninja sneaked towards Milla, his hands wielding a mace that had no spikes but solid knobs instead. The mace would bludgeon Milla to death if the ninja managed to hit her with it. But just as he closed in on the dog, Milla turned around and did something strange. She put her hands behind her back and her eyes widened to a point that her pupils covered up all the sclera around them. She looked extremely adorable with those huge eyes. Anyone who saw her would feel an unfathomable need to cuddle the little dog.

"Mr. Ninja? Please could you not swing that mace at me?" Milla asked in her sweetest voice possible, "I bruise really easily."

The ninja seemed almost entranced by the dog's sweet little puppy-dog eyes and innocent face. It was quite possibly the most sickeningly sweet thing he'd ever seen in his life and as he stared at the dog's huge eyes, any killer instinct in his body seemed to drain away. It was almost as if Milla had sapped away any desire to harm her just by staring sweetly at him. Unfortunately for the ninja, that was precisely what Milla had planned to happen. It was another one of her deception tricks that she'd been practicing for big battles like this. She had tried using it on her parents when she wanted to avoid being punished. It never worked. But on the battlefield, it had worked on the ninja. He had lowered his guard, leaving himself vulnerable to attack. Milla summoned a green block just above her head and threw it straight at the ninja, knocking him clean off of his feet and onto his back. Overjoyed, the dog did a cute little jump for joy over her victory. She was doing very well against the ninjas.

But sadly, even the best of winning streaks come to an end. Another Red Scarf ninja came up behind Milla and suddenly seized her. He clasped his hand over her mouth and drew out a dagger, pointing it directly at Milla's heart. The dog began to flail about desperately, trying to get free but the ninja was much too strong. He raised his dagger, ready to kill Milla. It would be over for the child very quickly. But then Milla resorted to another tactic that she'd learnt. When somebody puts a hand over your mouth, you bite the hand to make it let you go. She did just that, sinking her teeth into the ninja's hand and causing him to scream in pain. He let go of Milla so he could clutch his sore hand and rub it better. The dog saw her chance. The moment she was released, she leapt away from the ninja and threw a green block at him, knocking him clean off of his feet. Lilac had watched the whole performance and was very pleased to see her canine friend doing so well. Milla jumped for joy, a wide smile on her cutesy face.

"Yay! I did it!" she hollered, "I beat those ninjas before they could hurt me!"

"You're doing very well Milla." Lilac complimented, "I'm very proud of you."

The dog swelled with pride. Lilac complimenting her was one of the biggest things in the world that made her happy. She liked to feel that she was making her friends happy. The dragon and dog then turned around and ran back into the fight as some more ninjas came running towards them.

Spade hadn't had the pleasure of fighting any of the girls yet. He was fighting against Dail. The two pandas had briefly thought each other during the Christmas Raid when Natalya had tried to make Spade kill Dail as part of the plan and so she could seize the throne of Shuigang. Spade had been reluctant as it didn't make sense for him to care about who killed his father and yet have no qualms about killing his brother. He was an assassin but he couldn't quite bring himself that far as to murder his own family. Now he and the former prince where in battle again, moving at speeds that defied belief and leaving green after-images as they boosted towards each other. Spade and Dail exchanged the occasional punches and kicks between each other before jumping back and charging straight towards each other again. The two brothers were nothing but a blur as they fought, the crowd barely able to make them out as they watched intently. The fight seemed to be on fast forward in their eyes. Spade threw a punch that connected sharply with Dail's jaw and threw him sideways. Dail recovered and leapt towards his criminal brother in one single bound. He swung his leg upwards and kicked Spade in the face.

The red-scarfed assassin stumbled backwards but he quickly recovered and he and Dail linked hands with one another as the latter came at him again. They both pushed on each other, trying to force either one down onto the ground and gain the advantage.

"Why brother?! Why live this life of crime?!" Dail cried out angrily, "What do you hope to gain from it?!"

"Something that I can't get from the royal life…enjoyment!" Spade snapped, "There's no joy in living in a world of rules and politics! I want to live a rule-free life with no politics and all the freedom I can enjoy. And this life is just perfect for me!"

"You won't be thinking that when you're thrown in prison where you belong!" the king retorted.

"I'd like to see you try and lock me away brother." the ninja sneered.

Then suddenly, Spade pulled on Dail's hands and yanked him closer. Close enough in fact for Spade to wallop Dail in the forehead with a vicious head butt that left a huge bruise just above his eyes. The king yelled in pain, clutching his head as if worried it was going to explode. Seizing his chance, Spade spun around on the balls of his feet and swept Dail's legs out from underneath him. The royal panda cried out as he suddenly fell over backwards and landed sharply onto the tarmac beneath him back first. The king was winded, trying desperately to get his breath back. But then Spade knelt down beside him and pressed his hand against Dail's throat. He was going to keep it there until Dail passed out. It was a handy tactic that people known as "garrotters" were famous for using. Dail could see spots of black swimming in his vision as he fought desperately to keep the air in his lungs.

"Why...why are...you...doing this?!" he croaked weakly, gagging most horribly, "Why...are you...kidnapping...me?!"

"I can't be bothered to explain right now brother. Just be thankful I'm not here to kill you." Spade muttered.

Dail began clawing at his brother's arm, trying to get free but the lack of oxygen in his head made him feel woozy and his strength was depleting so he barely just managed to rub his fingers against Spade's arm before giving up and allowing the comfort of unconsciousness to come over him. His eyes closed and he lay still on the ground. Pleased with himself, Spade got up and signalled two ninjas over to him.

"You two, tie him up and load him onto a bike. And then order the rest of the scarves to fall back" he ordered, "I'm going to keep the two traitors and their pet mutt busy so we can have a clean getaway."

The two ninja nodded and they quickly picked up their new leader's royal sibling. The crowd gasped in horror, unsure of what to do as their king was being taken away. They didn't dare try and help in fear of their own lives being taken in the attempt. The hooded ninjas carried Dail towards a nearby motorcycle as Spade suddenly sped off towards Lilac, Carol and Milla. The trio was just taking down two more ninjas between them as the panda suddenly leapt up into the air and began throwing a bunch of cards towards the trio. Unfortunately for the girls, neither one saw the cards coming and they found themselves being slashed across their arms and backs by the razor-sharp weapons. It felt to them like Spade had thrown knives rather than cards at them. Lilac, Carol and Milla all screamed in pain as fresh cuts were drawn across their arms and backs. The Red Scarves took the perfect opportunity to run for it, leaving their leader to face the dragon, wildcat and hound. Spade smirked confidently and drew some more cards to his hand. He had four kings and a jack in his hand and just for humorous purposes, he even had a joker card in his hand. He would use that on Lilac and already he imagined the kind of joke he'd make about killing the dragon with a joker card. He threw the card at Lilac's neck. If the card hit her, it would slit her throat and kill her instantly. Fortunately, the dragon saw it coming and swatted it away with her tendrils. The card landed on the ground and Lilac saw what kind it was. She snorted at her former gang-mate's dark sense of humour.

"Oh real funny Spade! Try and kill me with a joker card!" she scoffed, "Well the joke's on you asshole!"

"I wouldn't say that..." Spade sneered, drawing his arm across his chest and preparing to throw his three kings and one jack.

The cards sliced through the air and headed towards Lilac, their razor edges glinting in the sunlight above. Lilac spun around on her tip-toes, whipping the cards away from her. Carol and Milla decided to ambush Spade before he could draw out some more cards. Milla summoned a green block just above her head and she hurled it straight at Spade as if throwing a cardboard box away in the rubbish. The block hit Spade between the eyes, sending him stumbling backwards in pain. He clutched his head as if he had a sudden migraine and Carol seized the chance to unleash her fisticuffs on the panda. She still owed Spade a headache for kidnapping her and getting her tortured by Brevon and Natalya two weeks again. She punched Spade as rapidly as possible, hitting him so heavily and moving so fast that the panda couldn't even defend himself from her attacks. He grunted with every punch Carol threw. Then the wildcat leaned backwards, raised up her leg and began kicking Spade in the gut, her leg moving at a speed too fast to be real. Her foot was merely a blur but every kick felt like a hammer blow to Spade. The tomboy feline then drew her leg back and kicked Spade directly in the solar plexus, taking him clean off of his feet and throwing him across the street and into a nearby dustbin. He hit the bin but didn't knock it over for it was the kind that was bolted to the tarmac. Spade grimaced, pain flooding through his body from the attack. He just had time to pick himself up as Lilac came rocketing towards him. He leapt out of the way, hoping that Lilac would crash into the bin. She didn't. She instead just followed him to the side and pile-dived Spade in the back. The panda cried out loud as he was tackled down. Lilac then pinned Spade down with her knee firmly pressing down onto his back and she twisted one of his arms behind him. Spade screamed as spasms of pain surged through his arm.

"You're not getting away this time!" Lilac growled, "You're going to be arrested along with the rest of your gang and then Avalice will never have to worry about you low-lives again!"

"Deck him Lilac! Bash his face in!" Carol cried enthusiastically.

"I think I'll do just that unless Spade does the sensible thing and surrenders." the dragon said, her voice uncharacteristically soft, almost devious sounding.

"Grrr...don't get too in over your head traitor!" Spade grunted, trying to fight the pain in his arm, "Otherwise you'll make mistakes. And you've just made one I'm about to exploit now!"

The mistake he was talking about was the fact Lilac had let her guard down while pontificating to him. Because of this, he was able to use his free hand to draw out another card, this one an Ace of Clubs, and he reached behind him with the card. He used the sharp edge of the killer playing card to slice a cut on Lilac's wrist. The dragon yelped and drew her hand away distinctively, a thin trickle of blood seeping from the cut and staining the wrist section of her glove. This gave Spade the chance to shove Lilac off of his back and pick himself up. He put the card away and he kneed the dragon in the gut. As Lilac doubled over, Spade elbowed her in the back of her head, throwing her down flat onto the ground. And then he proceeded to kick Lilac about five metres away from where he was standing. The dragon winced in pain but otherwise, seemed willing to press on and fight some more. The panda just gave a suave smile and flipped his hair aside.

"Thanks for the exercise girls, but I really must run." he taunted, "I have an appointment with royalty back at my hideout. See you around losers!"

He then turned on his heels and fled, leaving Lilac to pick herself up and watch as he threw himself onto a motorcycle and start it up. Lilac had stood up just in time to see Spade taking off and driving away. His motorcycle kicked up soil and dirt as he drove off. The rest of the Red Scarves, to b more precise, any that weren't knocked out or possibly dead, mounted onto their bikes and drove off after Spade. Their mission was accomplished and now they could leave. Lilac watched them getting away despairingly but the last thing she saw caught her by surprise. She saw one last bike riding off and the rider had a tied up King Dail mounted behind him!

"NO! STOP!" Lilac screeched, Dragon-Boosting towards the motorcycle as it rocketed off down the road and kicked up clouds of dust behind it.

Lilac was too late. Her boost ran out and the dust ended up flying into her eyes and mouth, causing her to close her eyes and spit frantically to get the dust out. She fell onto her knees as she did this, allowing the Scarves to get away with her literally left behind in the dust. Lilac picked herself up and caught a glimpse of the Red Scarves disappearing into the horizon as they quickly rode away. Furious, the dragon stamped her foot and yelled up at the heavens.

"DAMN IT! THEY GOT AWAY!" she wailed, "And they got King Dail too! Why can't things go right for me for once in my life?!"

As Lilac ranted, the crowd suddenly began to shuffle around her. They seemed to be exchanging pitying glances towards the dragon girl as if wishing they could help her. Timothy stepped forward from the crowd and he sharply pointed his cane at Lilac, his aged eyes once again narrowed into a frown.

"If you wanted to be some kind of hero dragon then you sure did a good job at it!" he snorted, "You just let those horrible ninjas get away with the king!"

Lilac growled at Timothy as if she was some kind of rabid dog about to attack its owner.

"Yes, that's exactly what I did! I let them get away!" the dragon retorted in a voice dripping with sarcasm, "Get real Timothy! Did you really think I deliberately let them get away?! And besides, I didn't see YOU trying to stop them!"

The crowd suddenly turned on Timothy, agreeing with Lilac.

"Yeah! At least she tried to stop them!" they all yelled at the old turtle.

Timothy's head shrank down into his shell as he felt the weight of the crowd bearing down over him and their eyes glaring angrily at him. He wasn't happy that everybody was now siding with the impudent dragon girl but he knew better than to stand up to a whole crowd. He was one man, he couldn't do anything about them. Pleased to see Timothy put back in his place, Lilac addressed the crowd.

"Everybody, I am sorry that I failed to stop the Red Scarves from getting away with your king. But do NOT despair!" she announced, "I am going to find those lowlife assassins and I'm going to rescue King Dail! Me and my friends! I promise, your king will be returned home safe and sound sooner or later! We won't let the scarves keep hold of him!"

The crowd exploded into applause upon hearing Lilac's words of encouragement. After seeing her fight the Red Scarves and take a few of them out, they were convinced that the dragon would live up to her promise and would save Dail before anything could happen to him. It seemed they had been wrong to believe for a minute that Lilac was evil. Shang Mu must have gotten the wrong idea and needed to know that they were wrong about the heroic dragon before them. As the crowd cheered, Timothy glared at Lilac as if angered she had gained the crowd's approval. He turned his shell on her and disappeared into the crowd, walking slowly with his cane tapping away at the tarmac. The dragon ignored him as he left. He didn't deserve to be here if he was just going to demonize her and be nasty towards her for no reason. Better to let him go. Lilac did however focus on the crowd and felt a warm, sensational feeling building up inside of her body. Looks like at long last, she was going to be the planet's heroine again and nobody would be suspicious of her anymore. In some ironic twist of fate, Lilac found herself actually THANKING Spade for showing up! He had just given her the perfect moment to prove her heroism and now Shuigang was on her side like Shang Tu was. Never before had meeting Spade again benefited her so greatly.

Lilac didn't allow herself to bask in the glory she was receiving. She wasn't narcissistic in the slightest and didn't want the crowd to think that about her. She instead just smiled modestly and turned to face Carol and Milla. The cat and dog stood before their friend eagerly, excited to hear on what the dragon had planned. Lilac gathered the two closer to her and spoke to them quietly.

"OK, we have to save King Dail or Shuigang will be in an uproar." she mused, "With no king, nobody can keep an eye on the populace and keep law and order. Plus, the Scarves could use Dail for ransom or worse…we have to rescue him."

"He stood up for you when Timothy lambasted you Lilac so I'm up for saving the king." Carol said with a wink, "Any ideas on where to find the Scarves?"

"Not really no." Lilac said sheepishly, "We don't know where their new hideout is. We'll have to find clues on that."

"We can't ask Natalya where they'll be hiding since she's not their leader anymore." Carol noted, "She won't know where they are now."

"Maybe they're hiding somewhere in Shuigang?" Milla suggested, "They hid in Shang Tu and then they hid in Shang Mu. Maybe they're somewhere here?"

"No, that's too obvious." the dragon said grimly, "Spade is Dail's brother. Wouldn't Shuigang be the first place to look for the Red Scarves? They're more subtle than that."

"Maybe they're going for so obvious it's overlooked?" the wildcat suggested.

"Maybe, maybe…" Lilac murmured, "Although I'm still not sure if that's where they are."

She then suddenly noticed something. Some of the Red Scarf ninjas that had been knocked out in the battle earlier were still lying on the ground unconscious. The Red Scarves hadn't had time to pick them up. They had been forced to leave in a hurry before they lost King Dail, their big prize that they had come for. The dragon put a finger to her lips in thought and then suddenly had a brilliant idea.

"Say…maybe one of these guys can tell us where they are…" Lilac suggested.

"Great idea!" Carol squealed excitedly, "But…are we going to have to torture him? That's another line we don't cross remember? I won't resort to torture."

"Indeed Carol, which is why I have no such plan." the dragon said, "We can threaten him if he doesn't comply but we won't stoop down to Spade's level."

"That sounds good." said Milla, "Let's wake one of them up!"

"I hope he's in a telling mood." Lilac muttered.

She knelt down beside one of the knocked out ninjas and promptly slapped him across the face as hard as she could.

"Hey! Rise and shine! We've got a question for you!" she yelled.

She slapped the ninja again, her hand moving swiftly and smacking hard against the ninja's flabby cheek. The dragon left quite a nasty handprint on the ninja's cheek. But the slapping had done its job. The Red Scarf ninja began to wake up, groaning groggily as the darkness fled and he returned to the world outside of his slumber. He stared in disbelief at the sight of Lilac bearing over him with a stern look in her eyes. Had she just defeated Spade? No, it couldn't be. He was gone along with the rest of the gang that hadn't been knocked out in the fight. Lilac then grabbed the ninja by his top and jammed her face into his.

"Alright ugly, we've got a pressing question to ask and we're hoping you'd be kind enough to answer it." Lilac snarled, "Please can you tell us where your new hideout is?"

"We'll be good if you tell us!" Milla piped.

"Go to hell traitor!" snarled the ninja.

"Sorry, wrong answer." Lilac muttered, "Let's try again. Where is the Red Scarves' new hideout?"

The ninja refused to answer. The dragon girl recognized the type of man she was dealing with, obstinate and utterly refusing to give away information whatsoever. But Lilac was equally as obstinate. She had refused to give-up when fighting against Lord Brevon so she would not give-up in her desire to find out where the Red Scarves were hiding. Lilac's beautiful face twisted into a sly, sinister smile that didn't seem natural on her.

"Alright then buddy…looks like we're gonna have to do this the hard way." Lilac said firmly, "How would you like it if we took you to the Shuigang jail and locked you up?"

"You don't like it in prison do ya?" Carol taunted, "Remember how horrible it was with The Magister?"

"Bad men are locked up in prison!" Milla declared, "If you be a good man for us, we won't lock you away."

The ninja seemed to lose his composure. He had tasted prison life after being arrested during the failure of last year's Christmas Raid. He couldn't go back in prison and suffer a life of cramped space and bad food again! The ninja knew he'd rather give in than be locked up.

"Alright, alright! I'll talk!" he whimpered, "The Red Scarves are in Relic Maze! Honest! Cross my heart and hope to die!"

"Do you swear that it's the truth?" Lilac asked, a faux tone of sweetness added to her words.

"Yes I do! Just please don't lock me up again!" the ninja wailed.

"If you cooperate then we won't lock you up." Lilac said softly, "First me, Carol and Milla are going to prepare ourselves for the battle and then you're going to lead us to their new hideout. If you do as you're told, we'll set you free. OK?"

"Deal! Anything's better than prison!" yelped the ninja.

Lilac smiled thankfully and she turned back to face her friends.

"Yep, he's telling the truth alright." she said.

"Man Lilac, you sure can be devious if you wanna be!" Carol giggled.

"I can't say I enjoyed it but it was necessary for what we have to do." Lilac replied, "OK, here's the plan girls. Once we arrive at the hideout, me and Carol will pretend we've been captured by our little friend here." she pointed to the ninja, "Spade will likely lock me and Carol up but we'll bring supplies that can get us free. And then once me and Carol break free, Milla will launch a surprise attack that'll distract Spade and give us the chance to pound him into the dirt and rescue Dail."

"Sounds good Little Miss Heropants." Carol said gleefully, "I love a good plan and this one is BOUND to work!"

"When are we beginning?" Milla asked curiously.

"Right now." Lilac announced, "Of course, we can't bring our ninja friend to the treehouse in case he double-crosses us and tells Spade where we live."

"I agree." said Carol, "I'll keep the ninja here, you and Milla go home and get what you need for our inevitable prison break."

"Good idea Carol." said Lilac, "We'll do that."

"We're gonna save Dail!" Milla piped excitedly, "We're going to be heroes again!"

"Too right." said Carol, "And it looks as if Shuigang's going to be a lot nicer to Lilac now. I will say, Spade kinda helped us ironically enough. He's given us the perfect opportunity to prove Lilac's not evil! I think we oughta give him a thank you card for this!"

"Yes. Preferably one that has my fist hiding in it." snickered Lilac, "OK then girls, let's get to work!"

Carol and Milla excitedly obeyed. The wildcat ran over to keep an eye on the ninja that had so kindly given them the vital information they required while Milla ran off with Lilac to get the supplies they needed for their rescue operation. As they left, Lilac could feel a surge of excitement running through her body. It seemed her damaged reputation was finally being fixed and it was so strange to think that one of her personal rivals had been the one to help her fix it. Lilac just hoped that the rescue operation went as well as she was sure it was going to…

* * *

_**King Dail's been captured! But Team Lilac is on their way to save him! Will this plan go well or is it doomed to fail? Find out next time...**_


	3. Chapter 3: Saving King Dail

_Chapter 3: Saving King Dail_

"Wake up brother." sneered Spade, whipping his hand through the air and painfully smacking his unconscious sibling across the right side of his face.

The smack sounded unusually loud in the bare, empty cell that the two pandas were occupying. Spade heard it echo until the sound became nothing more than a nervous whisper that faded away. Dail's right cheek became red from the impact of the slap but he wouldn't register the pain until a few seconds later. The royal sibling slowly opened his eyes, now feeling a stinging pain in his cheek though he had no idea why. He recalled being knocked out thanks to Spade suffocating him into unconsciousness but he didn't recall being slapped.

It had been a while since the Red Scarves had fled Shuigang with their prize and Dail had been in this cell for about fifteen minutes before Spade had decided to wake him up. It amused the criminal sibling to slap his royal brother while he was unconscious; it was one of his favourite methods of waking people up. Unsure why, he often found it funny to wake them up like that. Spade watched as Dail opened his eyes and took in his surroundings. The king knew immediately he was in trouble before he had spotted Spade. He was in a dark cell with very little light bleeding through the cracks in the ceiling and the barred window high up on one side of the wall. He could feel something binding him to a wooden support beam he was kneeling against. He had been tied up with thick ropes around his arms and torso. His hands were tied around the beam and behind his back. He was on his knees and already, Dail could feel them beginning to ache. The panda began to struggle furiously, trying to find a way out of the ropes. But Spade never made a sloppy job of what he did. He was disturbingly good at tying up his victims. Dail even wondered if Spade had some weird passion for it. The ropes held firm and the knots were solid. He wasn't going anywhere.

Angered, Dail glowered at his brother, finally acknowledging that he was in the room with him. Spade didn't flinch.

"What is the meaning of this?! Untie me at once you scoundrel!" Dail growled angrily.

"Do you really think I went through all this trouble jut to let you go again?" the panda sneered, "You must have a strange idea about me if that's the case brother…"

"You're going to pay for this Spade! Mark my words, I will have all of Shuigang hunting you down for this treachery!" the king exclaimed angrily.

"How can you do that when you're stuck in here?" Spade scoffed.

"Where is "here" exactly?" Dail asked?

Spade chuckled as if Dail had asked a dumb question.

"Like I'm gonna yell you that you moron." he crowed, "Just know that nobody is going to find you here. Nobody knows where the Red Scarves are and nobody knows where this place is. You, your majesty, are stuck here until we have no further use for you."

Dail wasn't sure he liked the sound of that but he decided to keep up a defiant performance to see if he could annoy Spade at all. He wasn't going to let his criminal brother think he was intimidated by him.

"You won't be hidden forever." he declared, "I bet the dragon girl and her friends will turn Avalice upside down to find me and when they find me, you better hope they're feeling merciful because I guarantee they're gonna kick your butt into the next kingdom for this!"

"You think I'm scared of those three brats?" snorted Spade, "They're welcome to try and find me. I'll only take them out. I still owe Lilac a slit throat for betraying us all and getting my gang arrested last Christmas."

He whipped out a playing card, this one the joker that he still wanted to kill Lilac with. Its razor edges glistened in what little light the cell had. Dail wasn't deterred at all, his eyes fixated on his loathsome brother.

"You underestimate Lilac. Need I remind you that it's thanks to her we found out who murdered our father? It was her who stopped Brevon, don't forget that! She can easily stop you!" Dail growled.

Spade seemed begrudging to admit that it was indeed because of Lilac that his father's killer had been found out and identified last year. He dismissed the claim and continued.

"The only reason Brevon lost to that traitor is because he underestimated her!" he retorted, "And also, Brevon had never faced Lilac before she he had no idea what to expect. Me? I've had plenty of experience with that wretch. I know her better than Brevon so out of us two, I think I'm likelier to finish her off."

"You keep boasting brother, you'll end up eating those boasts sooner or later…" the king muttered.

Spade fought back the urge to smack his regal sibling across the face. Showing signs of being agitated just meant that Dail was winning. He refused to let himself be vexed by the former prince. Breathing in deeply, he sighed and continued.

"Enough about her now, we have other things to talk about." Spade announced.

"Do they in anyway involve you telling me why you've kidnapped me?" the green-clothed panda growled.

"You read my mind…that's exactly what I'm going to tell you." the black and brown clothed panda responded, "I notice that Shuigang thinks very highly of you Dail. Just think how willing they'd be to cede to our demands when they know we won't give you back to them unless they hand over all of the city's riches, yours included?"

"So I'm blackmail bait am I?!" Dail exclaimed furiously.

"Duh." snorted Spade, "Don't worry though, we don't intend to damage you in anyway. I'm many things, but I wouldn't dream of cutting you to pieces. We'll just send the ransom note and await the city's response. If they don't give in, then you don't walk free Dail. It's as simple as that."

"I sure wish father was still here…" Dail growled savagely, "He'd punish you most dearly for this atrocity!"

"Please, the old man had no chance of catching me when he was alive." Spade gloated, "He couldn't save you even if he tried to."

"Don't you dare belittle father Spade!" Dail growled, "It might make people wonder why you cared about who killed him last year…"

"Just because I say he couldn't save you, it doesn't mean I have no respect for him." the panda sniffed, "I still find father's death very unfortunate and it's a shame he's gone. But now I know who killed him, I can move on and focus on other things."

"Like your criminal life?" the king snorted.

"Yes." Spade retorted, "Now you're going to sit tight and wait while I order Shuigang to give up all of their riches in exchange for your freedom. I'll be back soon brother. Don't miss me."

He laughed at his own joke and then picked himself up off the floor. He turned his back on his brother and walked out of the room, leaving Dail alone to hope against all hope that he would be found and that he would be saved before Shuigang bankrupted itself for his freedom. He even doubted that Spade would let him go once he'd succeeded. Would he ransom another kingdom with Dail's life? And what would happen if Shuigang refused Spade's offer? Would Spade have to hurt him, maybe even mutilate him, to make them crack? Those despairing thoughts made Dail all the more keen to escape…

* * *

The Relic Maze was a sight to behold for any Avalician who wondered through it. It had an ancient vibe to it and was full of temples and old buildings that had somehow managed to survive the days of old. Relic Maze had once been a place that housed the Kingdom Stone. It had been sitting in a beautiful cave somewhere in the maze until Spade had stolen it during the incident with Lord Brevon last year. A giant robot praying mantis had been guarding it and after Spade had stolen the stone, he'd left Lilac and Carol at its mercy. The joke had been on him though for the two girls ended up destroying the robot and making it out of the cave alive.

Lilac, Carol and Milla were taken back to last year as their Red Scarf accomplice led them to his gang's hideout. It had taken Lila and Milla a while to get the supplies they needed but they had gotten them and now they were on their way to the Red Scarves's hideout. Lilac had a bag slung over her shoulder. The bag contained the stuff they would be needing for the breakout. The ninja had been wondering what was in the bag but didn't dare ask about it. He was just too keen to get out of a prison sentence so he did the best thing he could do, do what Lilac and friends ordered him to without question. He took the girls through much of the maze, the trio spotting familiar sights and thinking back to their run through the maze when chasing after Mayor Zao and running into Spade in the caves. It took about twenty minutes walking through the Relic maze before the ninja signalled the girls to stop. They stood still and waited as the ninja peeked around the corner of a huge, rocky pillar and looked around. There was a temple that neither Lilac, Carol or Milla had seen in Relic Maze last year. The temple looked as if it was beyond repair and that age had caught up with it at last. Many walls had crumbled and the bricks were full of wear and tear. The girls had a feeling that the temple wouldn't be standing up for much longer. It looked as if a stiff breeze could finish the job that age had started on it. The ninja turned back to the girls.

"This is it." he hissed.

"That old thing is Spade's new hideout?" gasped Carol, "Gee, he's not much for good looks is he? That thing's falling apart!"

"No, the temple isn't literally their new hideout." the ninja corrected, "The temple is merely the ENTRANCE. The hideout is underneath the temple."

"Got it." Lilac announced, "Time to prepare ourselves for our plan."

She put the bag down on the grass and opened it. Before she took anything out of the bag, she turned to face the ninja.

"I hope you're not planning to double-cross us." the dragon warned.

"I'm doing nothing of the sort." the ninja replied truthfully, "I'd rather betray my own gang than spend a day in a prison cell again…"

"Why are you so scared of prison cells?" asked Milla curiously.

"I'm claustrophobic believe it or not." the ninja replied.

Lilac and Carol gasped in amazement. A claustrophobic ninja?! Whoever heard of such a thing? But it did explain why he had caved in so easily. His claustrophobia would have made his stay in The Magister's dungeon from last Christmas to two weeks ago a total nightmare. He had obviously not enjoyed his stay in the cell and didn't want a repeat of it. That was why he was so desperate not to be locked up again.

"So…I guess that's why you surrendered to such a pathetic threat." Lilac said.

"Oh yes." the red-hooded figure replied, "I HATE being enclosed! I feel all trapped and panicky inside. I'm amazed I didn't have a heart-attack when I was locked up for three months! I never want to be locked up again!"

"So you're willing to betray Spade because you don't wanna be locked up again?" asked Carol.

"To be honest, I was planning on leaving the Red Scarves for a while now." the ninja admitted.

This surprised Lilac but she supposed if she and Carol could leave the scarves, so could anybody else.

"I wasn't sure when I was going to do it but I planned on it. And now you three just gave me the perfect excuse to leave." the ninja said, "After this mission, I will disappear and you and the Scarves will never see me again. I don't get locked up, you save the king and humiliate Spade, we all win. And as a token of thanks for not throwing me back in prison, I won't EVER bother you three again."

"I'm proud of you for being so noble." Lilac said kindly, "You've just proven that not everybody is what they seem to be."

"Thanks." said the Red Scarf, "So are we ready?"

"Ready." the dragon nodded.

Lilac turned her attention back to the bag of contents on the grass. She took out a long, sharp knife with a thin blade and a silver hilt. It was a knife she had taken from the kitchen and was one of many new furniture that had been donated to her after her treehouse had been rebuilt from when Syntax had burnt it down. She slipped it into her boot, trapping it between her calf and the boot. The point had a rubber tip on the end to stop it from poking into her foot or straight through her boot. The dragon then picked out some rope and two red neckerchiefs. They were meant to be used at the dinner table as napkins but Lilac had other intentions with them. She handed them to the ninja.

"Tie us up." she ordered, "But not too tightly."

"I still can't believe we're doing this…" Carol muttered.

"Well we need to fool Spade now don't we?" Lilac hissed, "If our friend here comes to him with me and you bound and gagged, he's not going to suspect anything now is he?"

"I still don't feel comfortable with our Red Scarf buddy here doing the tying up…" the wildcat moaned.

"Don't worry Carol, I'll be gentle." the ninja promised.

He walked over to Lilac and stood behind her. The dragon girl put her hands behind her back and allowed the ninja to tie them up together with the rope. The ninja wrapped the rope around the dragon's wrists and double knotted it, keeping her hands trapped behind her back. Lilac tested the rope to see how firmly it would hold. She couldn't separate her hands in the slightest. The ninja had clearly tied people up before. The ninja then finished off by tying the red neckerchief around Lilac's mouth, gagging her. It was fitting how the neckerchiefs were red, it fit in well with the Red Scarves's trademark. Now Lilac was done, the ninja proceeded to tie Carol up. He bound her hands behind her back with the other piece of rope Lilac had brought, double knotting it as he tied it. Carol scowled, unable to believe she was letting this happen to her. She supposed it was better than having it done for real than having it done as part of an act. Once the ninja had finished tying her up, Carol tested the ropes. Her hands were firmly held together by the rope. She had to admit, the ninja was really good. It would have worried her if this had been for real instead of an act. The ninja then gagged Carol, the wildcat mumbling to herself as the neckerchief was tied around her mouth.

"Is that OK girls?" he asked.

Lilac and Carol nodded. It was all they could do to say yes now they were gagged.

"Good." said the ninja, "Spade will fall for this surely. Now Milla, you wait here until I come out of the temple." the ninja ordered, "When I show up, you make your move."

"OK!" Milla piped eagerly.

Lilac wanted to say something to Milla but she remembered that she was gagged so she couldn't. The little hound sensed it so she decided to say something to Lilac.

"Good luck you two." she said sweetly, "I'll be ready to make my move once Mr. Ninja comes out!"

Lilac winked at Milla as if to say, "Good girl Milla" without the use of her mouth. With the plan all set up, the Red Scarf scooped Lilac and Carol up onto his shoulders, the girls seeming to weigh nothing on his strong shoulders as he balanced them on. The dragon and wildcat then slumped against the ninja as if they had fallen asleep. They were pretending to be unconscious. The ninja had warned them that if they were delivered to Spade awake, he would know something was wrong as they only took prisoners to their hideout when they were unconscious or blindfolded. He wouldn't suspect a thing if Lilac and Carol were delivered to him unconscious. Milla was amazed the ninja could carry the two girls, one on each shoulder, so easily. He must be very strong if he could do that. The ninja walked towards the temple, leaving Milla to stay put and wait for his signal. She waved goodbye to her friends as if seeing them for the last time.

"Be safe in there…" she said worriedly, "I don't want anything bad happening to you…"

She continued watching until the ninja entered the temple and disappeared inside. With nothing left to watch, the dog sat down against the pillar and waited for her move…

* * *

Deep inside the Red Scarves's hideout, Spade was in the study area and sitting at a desk with a pen in his hand. The study was a room that was meant purely for the Red Scarves to sit and write their ransom letters. It was cosy in appearance with fancy, antique furniture and shelves, obviously stolen from either one of the three kingdoms, and there was a single light to illuminate the room. Spade was scribbling on a piece of paper, his handwriting surprisingly legible considering he didn't often have lessons in writing when he was younger. He was writing the ransom note he was going to give to the staff of Shuigang Palace and he wanted them to be able to read it so he deliberately wrote the letter as slowly as possible to make sure it was easy to read. The only sound in the study was the sound of a pen nib scratching away at paper. This made Spade feel very calm and at peace. His idea of relaxing was being in a room on his own with no sound at all, or at least very little sound.

The panda stopped writing for a moment and glanced at his letter to see if it was looking any good so far. He could read every word perfectly. He supposed that Shuigang Palace's staff would have no trouble reading it too. Satisfied, he put the paper back down on the desk and continued writing. He could hardly wait to send it off and see the reaction of the Shuigang populace when they received the letter, learning that they couldn't get their king back unless they gave him all their treasures. It still made him pleased to think that Lilac and Carol had failed to stop him from making off with Dail. The two were so arrogant to think that because they were former Red Scarves, they could even remotely match Spade in a fight. He had proven them wrong and would happily do so again.

He stopped writing for another moment again and took a moment to think. What should he do when Shuigang answered his ransom note? Should he release Dail? He supposed it would be unfair to keep him locked up despite the fact he had helped to snap his brother out of Lord Brevon's mind control last year. But at the same time, having Dail as his prisoner gave him a lot of advantages. He could use Dail against Shuigang and quite possibly, use him against Shang Mu and Shang Tu as well. He even considered another thought. Could he try _turning_ Dail? He imagined what it would be like to have his royal brother as a member of the Red Scarves. It would make him feel a lot happier than having Dail constantly against him and being so sanctimonious towards him so much. But could he turn Dail to his side? He would try it out. It sounded fun to him, corrupting the king and turning him into a criminal. Then he and Dail could be one happy family again.

The panda was brought out of his thoughts by a knock on the door. Sighing, Spade put the pen down onto the desk and he turned to face the door.

"What?!" he snapped.

"Sir, one of the ninjas left behind at Shuigang has returned!" cried a voice from outside the door, "He has some good news for you. You HAVE to see it for yourself!"

"This had better be good…" Spade muttered.

He picked himself up out of the chair, almost looking reluctant to leave it, and he walked out of the study to meet up with the ninja who had returned. He had hoped that any Red Scarves who were still alive were coming back to the hideout and now it seemed at least one of them had returned. He wondered what the supposed good news the ninja had was about. He had a thought on what it would be but he didn't dare get his hopes up too high. He didn't like to be disappointed.

Spade roamed down the corridor and into the meeting area of the hideout. It was a strict rule that any Red Scarf with news to give had to be in the meeting room. The meeting room was mostly bare save for a huge round table with lots of seats around it. Only the leader and the highest ranking members of the group ever sat around the table and the only time it was ever used was during brainstorming sessions when planning their next mission or raid. Spade opened up the door and walked inside. The sight that befell him in the meeting room was a sight that took him by surprise. Pleasant surprise. The aforementioned returned ninja was standing before him with two bodies draped over his shoulders. But those bodies weren't just any bodies. They were the bodies of Lilac and Carol! Spade stared at them for a moment as if trying to find some sort of tell-tale sign that would tell him this wasn't real. The dragon and cat were drooping against the ninja's body, still and unmoving. Their eyes were closed, meaning they were unconscious. They didn't move even a millimetre. They had been tied up and gagged. It seemed impossible but Spade was very pleased to see this was real. One of his own minions had actually managed to knock out and kidnap Lilac and Carol! The Red Scarves were on a winning streak at last! It seemed ever since Natalya had resigned, things had been looking up for Spade. The green-eyed panda smiled approvingly at his comrade.

"Well, well, well…you managed to capture the two traitors." Spade crowed, "I'm pleased. Well done. You're getting a promotion for this."

"You're very kind sir." the ninja replied modestly.

"How did you knock them out?" Spade asked curiously, "I see no signs of injury on them."

"I chloroformed them." the ninja lied, "I managed to sneak up behind them and I used the red neckerchiefs you see on them now to knock them out. I had laced them with chloroform. They had no chance of staying awake as I tied those scarves around their mouths."

Spade nodded, believing the story.

"Very good indeed." Spade purred, "I shall see to it that you're handsomely rewarded for this. When Shuigang gives into my demands, I'll give you about 40% of the treasures they'll be giving us. 50% even."

"Thanks sir." the ninja said, bowing respectfully, "So what do you want to do with the girls?"

"I could just kill them both now…but then I'm throwing away MORE potential hostages." Spade murmured, "If Shuigang won't give up their treasures to save their king…then they'll definitely give us everything we want if they want to save their king and two of Avalice's biggest heroes!"

Unknown to Spade, Lilac and Carol could hear every word he was saying and as they pretended to be unconscious, they filed the information away in their brains. Spade was going to ransom them. That was good. If he didn't want to kill them then the plan was going as swimmingly as they hoped it would. The ninja nodded fake approval at his leader's idea. He had to admit, he was pretty good at acting. He didn't think he had it in him to pull it off so flawlessly.

"That's a great idea sir!" the ninja lied, "I bet Shang Tu in particular would throw their money at us if they knew Lilac and Carol were in danger! Shang Mu may not be so willing since that city seems to hate Lilac now though…"

"Then Shang Mu can deal with blood on their hands." Spade growled, "They'll give up whatever treasures they have to save Dail's life no doubt. Even Mayor Zao isn't THAT selfish."

"Indeed sir." said the ninja, "So, shall I leave these two lovely captives in your hands now?"

"Yes. Feel free to retreat to your room and rest if you like." Spade said kindly, "I'll deal with the two traitors."

The ninja nodded and he put Lilac and Carol down on the floor, the dragon and wildcat fighting the urge to open their eyes. They had to remain unconscious otherwise Spade would suspect their trick. They allowed themselves to be picked up by Spade, the two seeming to weigh nothing as the panda perched them both onto his shoulders. Like their ninja comrade, Spade was pretty strong too though he favoured agility over strength. Spade and the ninja left the meeting room and Spade carried his prisoners off to another cell. The ninja turned to go to his room. But he didn't. He instead ran off to meet up with Milla outside the lair. The plan was working perfectly! And now the next step could begin. He could almost see Spade's face now when he realized he'd been tricked…

* * *

Meanwhile, Spade had taken Lilac and Carol into a cell that was next door to Dail's. He liked the idea of keeping all important prisoners close together. He lay the two down onto the floor and untied their hands from behind their backs. Lilac and Carol remained still, not daring to move. They could ambush Spade now but both dragon and wildcat knew that it was dangerous to try it. Spade was fast and he would have a card in his hand and slicing their throats before they could even stand up. They had to stick with the plan. Spade turned Lilac and Carol over onto their backs and tied their hands together again, this time in front of their bodies. He was enjoying himself. He never would normally get the pleasure of doing this to his two hated rivals. He was especially enjoying tying up Lilac.

"It's not often I get to tie up a girl as cute as you." Spade sneered, "You'll make a fine trophy to set an example of what happens to those who get in my way…

Lilac felt sick upon hearing this. She remembered how Spade thought she and Carol were attractive and used to flirt with them both, especially Lilac, when he could during their days as Red Scarves. It seemed he didn't hate them enough to stop doing this. Carol on the other hand thought back to how she used to fancy Spade and thought he was cool before he crossed their one line. It made her angry to hear her flirting with Lilac again in his usual suave and somewhat sinister way. Still, she didn't dare to give the game away as much as her body was screaming at her to move.

Now Spade had finished tying up their hands, he dragged Lilac's body over to a hook that dangled from the ceiling. Carol opened her eyes a tiny bit to watch as Spade stood up on a stool and hoisted Lilac up to the hook. He grabbed it and wedged it under the ropes binding Lilac's hands together. The hook held firm and Spade let go of Lilac. Lilac fell of the stool, the hook wrenching her arms firmly up above her head and stretching her body taught. Lilac winced but Spade didn't see her face as she swung back and for a couple of minutes. The rope constricted Lilac's hands, her arms and shoulders screaming as they fought to carry the weight of her body. Her feet were an inch off the floor. Lilac had been strung up like a dead pig in a butcher's shop. Despite the pain in her wrists and arms, Lilac still refused to open her eyes. But then she supposed it didn't matter if she woke up now, Spade would just assume she had just come to. Her beautiful, magenta eyes finally opened and she saw Carol being dragged towards another hook that dangled from the ceiling. She decided to pretend she was shocked to give Spade some more proof that there was nothing untoward going on. Her eyes shot open as if she was horrified to see what had happened and she began to struggle furiously, trying to get free of the ropes keeping her aloft. Spade saw this as he propped Carol on the footstool and hooked her tied hands onto the hook. He smirked deviously at his awakened prisoner.

"Hello Lilac, are you comfy?" he snorted, kicking the stool out from under Carol's feet so that she now dangled off the floor by her hands.

Lilac shouted angrily at Spade but any attempt to make herself heard was rendered moot by the red neckerchief around her mouth. Spade only heard faint angry mumbles at the most but he just found it funny to hear Lilac stupidly trying to speak with her mouth gagged like this.

"Sorry, I can't hear you. You seem to have something across your mouth." the panda sneered mockingly.

Lilac fumed at Spade, her rage very much real despite letting Spade do this to her. Knowing that her friend was obviously awake, Carol allowed her eyes to open and she put up the same act Lilac did. Spade saw this and chuckled cruelly.

"Oh and the wild biker kitty's awake too." he crowed, "Good…it'll be more fun to taunt you two now you're awake."

Carol glowered hatefully at Spade. If eyes could somehow sum up all the emotion that a person was feeling, then Carol was clearly a master at it. Her eyes were enraged and full of fury at the ninja panda. Spade could see the anger in his captive's eyes and he responded by playfully poking Carol in the belly. The wildcat growled. She hated it when people she didn't like touched her inappropriately.

"Yes, I can see that you're mad that you're in the hands of your old crush." Spade taunted, remembering how Carol had once been infatuated with him, "Sorry to annoy you but as you know, you don't tangle with a Red Scarf kitty-cat."

The wildcat's response was a kick to the face. Her legs swung up and walloped Spade just in his nose and sent him reeling backwards. The panda growled savagely at his defiant captive. His nose oozed with blood and Spade swore that Carol had broken it for it felt a little crooked. Angered, he promptly back-handed Carol across the face, sending her spinning around on the hook that held her firmly aloft. A tear of pain escaped the tomboy feline's eye as she spun. Lilac glared at Spade, angered that he dared to assault Carol like this.

"Dare damage me like that again and I'll plunge a dagger into your heart!" Spade growled as Carol stopped spinning around, "Is that clear?!"

The wildcat nodded grimly. Spade then ignored Carol and walked over to Lilac. He shamelessly placed his criminal hands on the dragon's hips, stroking them softly and making Lilac frown angrily at him. He didn't mind about this, he thought Lilac's reaction was amusing.

"It's a pity that a pretty girl like you has to be my prisoner Lilac but that's what you get for betraying the Scarves." Spade said deviously, "And now you're being punished for your treachery. I bet you wonder if I plan on killing you right now…"

Lilac nodded, pretending she didn't really know what he had in mind. Spade continued, clearly enjoying himself.

"Dail was kidnapped for the purpose of being used as ransom against Shuigang." he explained, "Shuigang has to hand over all its riches or they'll never see Dail again. If they refuse, then they'll most certainly give in once they see that you two are in my hands as well. They'll give me everything I want just to get you two back."

Lilac began writhing around, flailing angrily and ranting behind her gag, clearly disgusted and angered with Spade's evil plan. She of course, already knew it but couldn't let Spade know that. The panda bought the act and continued as if Lilac wasn't even doing anything.

"Once Shuigang gives in though, I won't give you, Carol or Dail back." he gloated, "I'll kill you two once the ransom has been paid. Dail? I'll see if I can corrupt him and make him a new member of the Red Scarves. If not? Then he doesn't go free, simple as that. Bet that REALLY pisses you off doesn't it traitor?"

Lilac lashed out at Spade with her legs but Spade had smartened up from his unfortunate encounter with Carol earlier. He stepped back and avoided being kicked. Still smiling his usual gloating smile, he continued to pontificate.

"It's amazing how ever since Natalya resigned, the Red Scarves seem to be getting better." he sneered, "We've successfully captured King Dail and now we've captured you two. Maybe I can capture Natalya herself! Ha, ha, ha! But since she arrested herself, I don't need to waste my time and energy on her. She can rot in prison for all I care. See you later girls, I have a ransom note to finish writing."

Smirking at his prize captives, Spade turned his back on them and left the room, leaving Lilac and Carol alone to dangle by the ropes around their wrists. Their hands were beginning to feel numb and their wrists were in agony from the ropes digging into them. It was a good thing they had planned for this eventuality. Lilac knew that Spade would tie them up in a cell somewhere in the hideout so that was why she had slipped the dagger into her boot. Now was the time to use it.

Breathing in deeply through her nose, Lilac swung her legs back and forth as if she was some kind of swing in a playground. Carol watched, knowing what she was planning on doing. The dragon swung back and forth for a few minutes before finally throwing her legs upwards and tilting herself upside down. She gripped the top of the rope that the hook was tied to with her feet and she slipped her hand into her boot. The knife slid slowly towards her fingers now that she was upside down and her leg was mostly pressed against one side of her boot, freeing it and making it easier to get out. She grabbed the knife's handle and slipped it slowly out of her boot. It was now in her hand and Lilac fought to keep herself from dropping it. If she dropped it now, the breakout plan would be compromised. Holding tightly, Lilac lowered her legs down so she was right side up again and slid the knife back and forth against the rope just above the hook. Her face beaded with sweat. Please let this work! It had to! Lilac was aware of her own heart thudding in her ears. Despite the brilliance of their plan and how well they had fooled Spade, she was nervous. The mission counted on her not dropping the knife under any circumstances.

She managed to hold onto it throughout the whole sawing process and within minutes, she managed to cut herself free. It was lucky the knife had been sharp enough or the mission would have been all for nought. The dragon dropped down onto the floor, relieved to take the weight off of her arms and she used her still tied hands to yank the gag off. She took in a big gulp of air, relieved to be able to breathe through her mouth again. Now she was down, she grabbed the footstool and stood up on it. Carol remained still as Lilac reached up and cut through the ropes binding her hands. Lilac took great care, not wanting to skewer Carol's wrists. Very shortly after, the dragon finally cut Carol free. The wildcat fell down onto the floor, relieved that her arms didn't have to carry her anymore. She massaged them tenderly and waited until some feeling came back into her hands. Then she yanked her gag off, took the knife from Lilac and cut through the ropes binding her hands together. Lilac rubbed her wrists better and laughed out loud. Carol laughed too.

"I can't believe the dumbass actually fell for that!" the wildcat chortled hysterically.

"Yeah! He really thought we would be captured so easily?!" Lilac shrieked, "I'm almost embarrassed that this was so easy! Ha, ha, ha!"

"Key word being ALMOST." Carol noted, winking.

"Yeah!" Lilac cried breathlessly, "OK then, now we're free, we can get King Dail outta here."

"Are we gonna arrest Spade and the scarves as well?" asked Carol curiously.

"No, we don't have the resources to capture so many people." the dragon replied, "We can try and arrest Spade at least. With him in prison, the gang will fall apart."

"Oh yeah!" the green-furred feline exclaimed, "Spade deserves to be in prison for what he's done!"

"I'll never forget the day he committed that murder…so ruthless and sick of him…" the dragon scowled, "Oh well, he can do time for it at last. Come on, let's get Dail free."

"Any idea where he is Little Miss Heropants?" asked Carol.

"He should be near our cell, let's go." Lilac said.

The two girls ran over to the cell door and as expected, the door was locked. Spade must have been silent about it since Lilac and Carol didn't recall hearing a key turn in the lock or anything. But the two weren't worried. A locked door was the least of their worries. Carol strode up to the door and began clawing viciously at it, slashing away with her Wild Claw attack. She churned away at the thick wood of the door, sending splinters flying everywhere. Then she raised her leg and kicked at the door very callously. The damaged door couldn't hold back the wildcat's fury any longer. It finally gave way and swung open as Carol kicked it as hard as she could. Lilac cautiously stepped through the door and looked around to see if anybody had heard Carol hammering away at their cell door. There was nobody about so she stepped out and tried the cell next door to her own to see if King Dail was in there.

She peered through the barred window of the door and her eyes widened. Dail was in that cell, tied to a support beam and looking very sorry for himself. She didn't blame him for looking so glum. He'd been kidnapped and tied up in a cell by his own brother! She was an only child herself but Lilac imagined it must be horrible to feel this way after your own family does something like this to you. The dragon curled up into a ball and Dragon-Boosted straight into the door, ripping it off its hinges and throwing splinters of wood everywhere. Dail's head shot up and he stared incredulously at the sight before him. Lilac stood up and smiled brightly at the imprisoned panda.

"Hello your majesty. Ready for a breakout?" asked Lilac sweetly.

"Lilac!" Dail exclaimed, "Oh thank heavens, it's you! I didn't think you'd find me here! My brother assured me that nobody would…"

"Well one of Spade's goons decided to switch sides and help us." the purple-scaled Avalician boasted, "He doesn't wanna be locked up again so he decided to join our side and thus, he directed us to this place. He doesn't like the Red Scarves either and was happy to help us."

"So one of Spade's own men turned on him? I like that." Dail said happily, "Let's hope they all turn on him and the gang disappears forever…"

"Well I've betrayed the scarves along with Carol, Milla's parents have done so, Natalya's abandoned them and now one of his men has abandoned them." Lilac said, walking over to Dail and bending down to his height, "The Red Scarves are lousy at keeping hold of their own members aren't they?"

"Seems that way." the king chuckled.

Lilac then proceeded to untie Dail, taking great care on undoing the knots in his ropes. The moment he was free, the panda stood up and gave his legs a good stretch. His knees were in total agony and it felt good to finally stand up again.

"Man, being on your knees for so long is a killer!" the king moaned, "Thank goodness I can stand up again.

He then turned to Lilac and smiled one of those warm, appreciative smiles that somebody who is grateful for receiving another person's help often smiles.

"Bless you for coming to help me Lilac. Bless you." Dail said kindly, "You're honestly one of the most kind-hearted Avalicians I've ever met."

"Thank you Dail." said Lilac modestly.

The dragon felt very good inside. After being feared by several people for two weeks, it made her feel happy that somebody was appreciating her heroism and saw her for the big-hearted heroine she was, not the monster they wrongly believed she had been. Lilac could feel her heart swelling with pride. It seemed her reputation was going to be repaired at last.

"You're welcome." Dail said brightly, "I'll see to it that you're handsomely rewarded for your valour and selflessness. How much do you want?"

"Please, I don't want any money." Lilac said hastily, "I'm just too happy to help that's all. That and…I kinda want to prove to the world that I'm not evil and that they're wrong about me…"

She looked a little sad upon reflecting this. And rubbed her arm sadly and looked down at the floor.

"The greatest reward for me would be that the damages done by Brevon and Natalya two weeks ago are finally repaired and that…nobody's scared of me anymore." the dragon mused, "Shuigang was already siding with me when I fought the Red Scarves and offered to come save you so I suppose I'm achieving that. Hopefully Mayor Zao and his city will finally believe that I'm not evil…"

Dail put a hand gently on Lilac's shoulder, staring at her with sympathetic eyes and smiling kindly.

"Well Lilac, we'll make sure that everybody hears about the good you've done today." the king swore, "Even that big-head Mayor Zao. If I have to die in order for people to believe you're good, then so be it. I'd happily go that extra mile for you. You saved Avalice three times and put an end to my father's killer, you deserve all the good you're getting from me."

Lilac smiled sweetly at Dail, touched to hear that he was on her side so loyally. The dragon wasn't sure if this was allowed, but she ended up hugging King Dail graciously for his kindness.

"Thank you so much. You have no idea how grateful I am your majesty…" Lilac said softly.

"You're welcome, so very, very welcome." Dail replied, appreciating the hug, "Now come on, let's get out of here."

But then suddenly, before anybody could go anywhere, Carol ran into the cell. She was gesticulating frantically as if a bomb was about to go off.

"Lilac! Lilac! Spade's coming!" the wildcat squealed, "He must have heard us breaking the door down!"

Lilac's blood ran cold. Not now! Spade couldn't come now! They'd lost the element of surprise which they had been fighting so hard to keep! Shrugging, the dragon decided to play it by ear and hope that despite losing their element of surprise, they could still defeat him. Plus, they still had Milla ready to launch a surprise attack, they weren't beaten yet. The dragon, panda and wildcat ran outside Dail's cell door to confront Spade. They all stood in a line together and watched as the panda strode up to them, his face contorting with rage as she saw that his prisoners were all free. He had indeed heard Lilac and Carol breaking the doors down and had decided to investigate to see what had happened. He had several Red Scarves with him right now to make it harder for the trio to escape. He knew that advantage in numbers was how he was going to keep hold of the three escapees. Spade drew three cards into his hand, a Joker, a King of Diamonds and a Queen of Diamonds, and held them, ready to throw them whenever he so wished. Lilac, Carol and Dail all glowered challengingly at Spade, ready for battle. Lilac and Carol were itching to pound Spade into the dirt whereas Dail looked more keen for a battle than usual.

"Well, well, well. Looks like the canaries are out of their cages." Spade snarled, "I shouldn't have been so stupid as to believe you two were captured so easily." he growled at Lilac and Carol.

"Yes, you shouldn't have." snorted Lilac, "We wanted you to lock us up so we could then rescue King Dail! As for the Red Scarf who "captured" us, he joined our side and helped us fine your hideout!"

"Face it buster, you've been played from the very start!" Carol gloated, "And now we're going to make a break for it if you don't mind!"

"You two will not leave here alive!" Spade shouted, "Dail's not going anywhere too!"

"I'd like to see you try and stop us brother!" Dail retorted, "You have no chance of keeping us here!"

"Would you like to test that theory?" the red-scarf panda sneered, getting ready to throw his cards at his prisoners.

"Get ready for a pounding Spade because that's what you're getting!" Lilac snarled, "Oh and sorry to annoy you but we're still a step ahead of you."

"And why is that?" Spade asked, clearly unimpressed with Lilac's claim.

Then suddenly, a huge green block flew out of nowhere and walloped most of the Red Scarves in the backs, throwing them across the corridor and straight into Spade, knocking him over as well. The ninjas felt like bowling pins in a bowling alley being knocked over by the huge bowling ball that rocketed down the lane towards them. Lilac folded her arms and smirked at Spade, the latter glaring up at the former in annoyance.

"Because we have Milla lying in wait for you." she announced.

She then looked up and smiled at the young puppy-dog standing and smiling sweetly back at her from up the corridor. Milla had finally made her move after the ninja had told her Lilac and Carol had been locked up by Spade. She had summoned a shield to her hands and had used it to bowl over the Red Scarves. The dog scampered on all fours towards Lilac and jumped into her arms like a pet dog running up to is owner. Lilac embraced the child gleefully, pleased she had played her part so well.

"Well done Milla!" the dragon praised, "You got the Red Scarves by surprise and now we can get outta here!"

"Thank you Lilac!" Milla piped excitedly, "I'm so glad you're OK Lilac and Carol!"

"Yeah, we're fine, thanks for your concern." Carol said casually, "Come on, let's scram before Lord of the Douchebags gets up!"

Too late. The girls and the king watched as the Red Scarves picked themselves up and Spade stood in front of them, cards in hand and ready to attack. His face was full of fury, fury beyond anything that Lilac had ever seen before. He looked as if he was ready to kill and chances are, he was about ready to do so.

"That's it, you've made a fool out of me enough times now!" the criminal panda snarled, "You girls are all dead and my brother's going back in his cell where he belongs!"

"Like that's gonna happen!" Lilac retorted, "Girls, take him down!"

Carol and Milla obeyed and followed as Lilac sprang into action, hurling herself towards Spade just as the panda threw his cards at the trio, the Joker heading towards Lilac, the King of Diamonds heading towards Carol and the Queen of Diamonds heading towards Milla. The girls swatted away the cards and Spade speed-boosted towards them, a look of death in his eyes as he lunged for Lilac. Roaring savagely, the panda threw a punch just as Lilac jumped up to unleash a Dragon Cyclone…

* * *

_**Well folks, looks like the plan's gone well but now Lilac and friends have to fight for their freedom! Will they succeed? Or will Spade and the Red Scarves have dead bodies on their hands? Tune in next time as our friends are "Fleeing the Hideout"...**_


	4. Chapter 4: Fleeing the Hideout

_Chapter 4: Fleeing the Hideout_

Somewhere in Dragon Valley, there stood a treehouse that was unusually large and well-constructed for a house built up in a tree. The house was three-storeys high and looked bigger on the inside due to the size of the rooms it had. The house had the usual living room, kitchen, bedrooms and bathroom and the third storey acted as an attic so that anything that needed putting away had somewhere to be stored. The house was only a week old, having been built a week after Lord Brevon's servant bot Syntax had burnt the original one down. This was the home of Lilac, Carol and Milla.

The treehouse was home to two more people two. They were both Basset hounds and they were the parents of Milla. Their names were Miguel and Lela. They weren't quite as adventurous as their daughter was and after the incident with the Dark Stone two weeks ago, they had opted out of any possible adventure that they could unwillingly get sucked into. Despite this, they still very much cared for their daughter and trusted Lilac and Carol to take good care of her whenever she went out with them. They were currently at home doing the usual household chores to keep the house clean while Lilac, Carol and Milla were shopping Shuigang. They had received a surprise visit from Lilac and Milla when they had come home to get some supplies but Lilac had quickly informed them that they were breaking into the Red Scarves's hideout and were going to trick Spade by making him think they had been captured by a ninja who was actually on their side. Having once been part of the Red Scarves themselves, Miguel and Lela were horrified to hear what they had done to Dail and prayed against all odds that Lilac, Carol and Milla would save him.

Right about now, they were sitting in the living room and anxiously waiting for the trio to come home. They couldn't help but be concerned for the girls since they were breaking into the territory of a dangerous gang of thieves and assassins. They knew how dangerous Spade was in particular and that he didn't mess around in whenever he got into a fight. It was true that they didn't have to worry about Natalya anymore since she had reformed and was now in The Magister's dungeon but that didn't mean the Red Scarves would suddenly be a walk in the park now. Time seemed to tick slowly by as the two parents waited. Lela was beginning to feel restless, her stomach full of butterflies and her hands clenching and unclenching repeatedly. Miguel embraced his wife tenderly to ease her nerves.

"Please don't fret dear, there's nothing to worry about." the male hound said softly.

"I'm sorry Miguel but I just can't help but be concerned for those girls." Lela replied anxiously, "Especially my little Milla. I know the Red Scarves aren't exactly that much of an obstacle to overcome but breaking into their hideout is still a dangerous thing to do. Also, the Red Scarves might have the advantage since they're in their home territory. I just…I just hope they're going to make it out alive."

"Lela darling, you know they will." Miguel insisted, "Remember, Lilac took down Lord Brevon of all people and he's a million times the threat those Red Scarves are! She even managed to beat Natalya last Christmas. I assure you that they'll save King Dail and escape with their lives."

"I know, but as a mother of one child, it's my job to worry about children…" the she-hound muttered, "Milla of course I worry about the most but I still can't help but let my motherly instincts kick in when Lilac and Carol go adventuring. They're teenagers, sixteen and fifteen respectively, they're too young to lose their lives now just like our little Milla is. I'm sorry…but I just can't help but worry."

Miguel nodded understandingly. He too was concerned for the girls' safety but he tried his best to hide it be being optimistic and thinking positively about the situation. He didn't believe in being negative all the time as negativity never got anybody anywhere. A positive attitude was his idea on how to make it through the darkest of times. He held Lela close and gently began rocking her back to comfort her.

"I understand love. But just remember that worrying doesn't do anybody any favours." he said gently, "Try to be positive. You'll feel better."

"I'll try." Lela said, running her hands up and down Miguel's back, "Thank you Miguel. You're honestly the best man I could have married. You always know how to make me feel better."

"You're welcome sweetheart." said Miguel kindly, "I love you very much and I want to make you as happy and comfortable as possible. Your happiness always makes my day."

"Aww you…" the she-hound said sweetly.

She leaned forward and kissed her beloved husband on the lips. Miguel returned the kiss, the two hounds embracing each other tightly and feeling a wonderful sensation between them. But then suddenly, their loving moment was interrupted by a knock at the door. The two separated and picked themselves up from the sofa to answer it. Who could that be at this time of day? Lela opened the door and was surprised to see General Gong standing before her with a letter in his hand. The heavyweight panda waved politely at her.

"Oh, good morning sir." Lela said politely.

"And to you Mrs. Basset." Gong said gruffly, "Is Lilac the Dragon Girl home at all?"

"I'm terribly sorry sir but you missed her. She's gone to rescue King Dail from the Red Scarves." the hound replied.

"Oh, I see." Gong mused, "Well then, could you give this letter to her when she comes home?"

He handed Lela the letter. The hound took it and looked at it. It was recognizable as a letter that came from the Royal Palace of Shang Tu. What did it mean? Lela looked up at Gong.

"What's it about?" she asked.

"Natalya wants to meet Lilac in her cell whenever she's available." Gong explained, "She asked me to send her the message. Can you give it to her when she comes home?"

"Yeah, sure I can." Lela replied, "Though I can't imagine Lilac will want to meet the former gang leader given…her treatment of us. Even if she has reformed…"

"Natalya understands." Gong replied, "Anyway, just make sure Lilac gets the letter. Goodbye."

"Bye." Lela said as Gong turned around and climbed down the treehouse's rope ladder.

The moment he left, Lela closed the door and turned to face Miguel.

"It was General Gong dear." she said, "He's got a letter for Lilac. Apparently, Natalya wants to meet her."

"How can she do that if she's in prison?" asked Miguel, "Does she literally want Lilac to come to her cell and meet up with her?"

"I suppose so, yes." Lela murmured.

"I do hope that woman isn't plotting anything…" the red-haired canine murmured grimly, "If she's plotting to slaughter Lilac then she's going to be in for it…"

"Miguel, don't be silly!" the ginger-haired dog exclaimed, "Natalya reformed! She helped us beat Lord Brevon! She regrets everything she did! And those two aliens read her body language and pointed out she was being 100% honest with us! Why on Avalice would she want to kill Lilac now?"

"I dunno…it's just…I don't fully trust that witch." Miguel sighed, "I'm sorry if I sound like a jerk but you know what Natalya did to us. It's going to be hard for me to let it go and accept she's good now."

"You have no idea how much I understand." Lela replied, putting her arms around her husband, "But still, Lilac can take care of herself. If she goes to meet Natalya, I'm sure she'll be fine. And I'm sure Natalya won't hurt her."

"If she does then she's going to regret it. That I promise…" Miguel sighed.

Lela nodded, glancing back down at the letter in her hand. She was tempted to open it and read it but she knew it was none of her business to peek at letters that weren't for her. She would wait until Lilac arrived home and then give it to her…if Lilac actually does manage to come home…

* * *

Lilac quickly threw herself down onto the floor as another card whizzed through the air in an attempt to slit her throat. The card was, of course, a Joker card. Lilac didn't understand why Spade seemed to want to use that particular card to finish her off aside from it being part of his sick sense of humour. She could already imagine the criminal panda trying to think of as many jokes as he could make about killing Lilac with the Joker card. No way was he getting that satisfaction.

The fight had become hectic in the cell corridor of the Red Scarves's hideout. Weapons flew everywhere and fists launched at various different people in various different directions. Lilac and Spade had dibs on each other so they were locked in combat while Carol, Milla and Dail took on the Red Scarves. Lilac Dragon-Boosted straight into Spade and slammed him against the wall as hard as she could. The panda grunted as he felt the wind being knocked out of his lungs. As soon as he came free from the wall, he found himself being slugged in the stomach repeatedly by his draconian rival. Lilac was taking no prisoners. She was going to arrest Spade even if it meant she had to do trying to arrest him. He had to do time for his crime against Shuigang and for wanting her and Carol dead. Spade coughed and spluttered as Lilac punched him and then suddenly, the girl roundhouse kicked him in the head and threw him across the corridor. Spade groaned in pain, his head throbbing as if a fist had just reached into it and squeezed his brain as hard as possible. The ninja was back on his feet in no time at all and he drew three more cards to his hand. These were three club cards, one, two and three respectively. He waited until Lilac came running towards him before throwing the cards straight at her. Yelping, Lilac spun on her tiptoes and swatted them away with her tendrils. But the cards were not entirely meant to hit her. As soon as Lilac stopped spinning, Spade boosted towards her, leaving a train of green after-images behind himself, and he threw a terrific punch to the cheek that almost took Lilac's head off. The dragon was sent reeling backwards, her cheek already bruising from the punch. Lilac's head was spinning, unable to work out which way was up.

Now she was distracted, Space charged into her and pinned her to the wall. Lilac cried out and tried to push Spade away but the panda held her back firmly, refusing to let her go. He drew out yet another Joker card and held it at Lilac's throat. The dragon could only wonder how many Joker cards the criminal ninja possibly had. Spade looked as if he was enjoying himself, pleased that he was finally going to kill Lilac.

"You made a clown out of me Lilac…well now the joke's on you." Spade gloated, "I'll still include you in the ransom note to Shuigang so that even in death, you're still going to be useful to me."

"Spade, I have one question for you." Lilac said nonchalantly.

"Save it, I'm not interested." Spade muttered, preparing to slice through Lilac's neck with the card.

"I'll ask it anyway. Do you ever stop gloating?" the dragon retorted.

She then proceeded to drive her knee straight between Spade's legs. The panda gasped in agony and his eyes shot wide open as he felt the girl's knee violently connect with his groin. He dropped his card and fell onto his knees, fighting back the urge to cry tears of pain. Lilac just smirked at him, folding her arms and looking down at the pained ninja.

"Say goodbye to your manhood Spade." she crowed.

"You…bitch!" Spade snarled.

"Eh, I've been called worse." the dragon said casually.

She then proceeded to spin on the balls of her feet and whip Spade into the air with an uppercut from her tendrils. Spade grunted as he was whisked off of his feet by the dragon's attack and sent crashing slap-bang into a wall nearby. He fell down onto the floor, wincing as he hit it. He was full of rage now. Nobody ever made him look stupid and lived to gloat about it! Lilac had made a fool out of him once too often. It was time to end it. He forced himself back onto his feet and drew out five cards in each hand. He had four kings and a jack in one hand and four queens and a jack in the other. He drew his arms across his chest and then swiped the air with them. He sent all ten cards slicing through the air towards Lilac, their razor edges glinting in the light. Lilac knew what Spade was planning and she wasn't going to let him get the drop on her like that again. She curled up into a ball and Dragon-Boosted towards Spade, ploughing through the cards as if they were nothing. A train of sparkles tail-ended her boost. Spade tried to jump out of the way but Lilac was too fast. She hit him just as his body careened to one side, walloping him directly in the legs and sending him spinning onto the floor.

The red-scarfed ninja winced as his legs began throbbing with pain. He didn't even have the strength to stand up for a moment but he refused to give in. He forced himself onto his feet and then he braced himself as Lilac came spiralling towards him in a Dragon Cyclone attack. His arms were held out in front of him in an X shape and he let them take all the battering that Lilac inflicted on him. Once Lilac's attack had concluded, he lashed out and flat-palmed Lilac straight in the solar plexus. He remembered how Natalya loved to hit people there and he decided to try out that tactic to see how effective it was. The blow knocked most of the wind out of Lilac's lungs and threw her backwards. She coughed, trying to get the air back into her body. Spade seized his chance and boosted towards her again. He walloped Lilac with an uppercut to the face and brought her down onto her back. He then attempted to pin the dragon down but Lilac just swung her legs up and flipped him up and over away from her and onto his back as he landed on her. Spade grimaced as his back sharply hit the floor but he soon got back onto his feet and turned to face Lilac as she stood back up too. Then the dragon and panda lunged at each other, linking hands and pushing hard on each other's arms.

"Give it up Spade! You can't win this one!" Lilac declared.

"The day I give up will be the day I end up liking Natalya…which is never going to happen!" Spade growled, "I've worked too hard to pull off this plan! I'm not gonna let you ruin it for me now!"

"Why Spade? Why do you persist in this waste of life?! Why do you enjoy being such a petty criminal and killer?!" the dragon screeched angrily.

"As if I'm going to waste time explaining that to a dumb bitch like you!" the panda snarled "You wouldn't understand, especially since you double-crossed us!"

"Oh grow up!" Lilac sighed, "I betrayed the scarves, big deal. Get over it!"

"I will once you're finally dead!" Spade growled, "With you dead, none of the Red Scarves will be tempted to betray the gang ever again!"

"So that's it? You want me dead just so nobody will be tempted to betray you?" the Avalician heroine muttered, "You really are worse than Natalya!"

"Say that again and I'll cut your hair off!" the criminal ninja growled.

"YOU'RE WORSE THAN NATALYA!" Lilac bellowed as if wanting to hammer the words directly into Spade's brain and force him to remember them forever.#

That did it. Spade lost whatever control over his temper he had left, which wasn't an awful lot due to how angry he already was. He couldn't stand the idea that the impudent dragon had the gall to say he was worse than his former leader. Nobody EVER said he was worse than Natalya and lived! He pulled on Lilac's hands and dragged her closer to him. The dragon yelped as she was suddenly pulled forwards and Spade then proceeded to drive his knee straight into her gut. Lilac spluttered loudly as she felt the wind being slammed out of her by the panda. As she doubled over in pain, Spade clasped both of his fists together and slammed them both down onto Lilac's back just near the base of her neck. The dragon flopped down onto the floor, screwing her face up as spasms of pain surged through her body. Spade cackled gleefully and then he raised his leg, ready to slam it down onto the girl's back and possibly break her spine. Lilac would be paralyzed and unable to fight back with her spine broken. But the dragon was ready for him. She rolled out of the way just as Spade's foot came slamming down onto the floor on the spot where she had been lying seconds earlier.

Lilac, while still lying down, reached out a hand and grabbed Spade's ankle. She tripped Spade up by flicking his foot up. The panda yelped as he suddenly overbalanced and landed on his back. Lilac then picked herself up and pinned Spade down by pressing her knees against his chest and holding his arms down with her hands. Spade promptly spat into Lilac's face to make her let him go. The dragon wiped the spit out of her eye, giving the panda the chance to use his free arm to punch her in the nose. The dragon reeled back and clutched her nose, wincing as Spade got back onto his feet and then boosted into him, unleashing a volley of punches at speeds beyond all belief onto Lilac. The dragon tried to block the punches but Spade was too fast. The purple-skinned Avalician grunted several times as Spade hit her over and over. But then Spade made a mistake. He threw a punch at Lilac just as she was raising a hand to block it. She caught the punch in her hand and wasted no time in taking advantage of it. She twisted Spade's hand violently, sending a sharp, agonizing surge of pain flooding all the way up to his arm. The panda screamed, feeling as if Lilac was trying to tear his hand off. Then the teen-dragon pulled Spade forward, still clutching his hand, and kneed him in the gut as hard as she could, throwing Spade onto his back and knocking the wind out of him.

"You see? You're even easier to beat in a fight than Natalya is!" Lilac gloated, "You're worse than her in a fight and in personality and decency!"

"Just…keep…talking…traitor!" Spade roared.

Lilac was pleased. Spade was getting angry. Good, that meant he would make mistakes! The panda threw himself at Lilac in a blind rage, the dragon already anticipating the move. She spun out of the way and pile-dived Spade in the back, throwing him down onto the floor once again.

Meanwhile, Carol, Milla and Dail were having an easy time taking out the Red Scarves. Almost as easy a time as Lilac was having against Spade. Carol stood in a battle-ready stance as two ninja came running at her with Sais in their hands. A sai is a long dagger with two curved prongs on either side that served as protection for the hand that wielded it. The two ninjas had a pair each, ready to skewer Carol like a kebab with them. The wildcat was ready for them. The moment one of the ninjas lunged at her with one of his Sais, she spun around out of his way, leaving him to stab at empty air. Carol then grabbed hold of the ninja's wrist and twisted his hand sharply to one side, numbing his hand and forcing him to drop the sai. She quickly scooped it up and slashed the ninja across his arm with the sai. A thin bloody cut spread out across the ninja's arm as Carol slashed him. The red-hooded figure clutched his arm and winced in pain, giving Carol the perfect opportunity to kick him in the stomach and bring him down. The other ninja came slashing towards Carol with both Sais, intending to cut her to pieces. The wildcat yelped and quickly dodged the attacks. She remembered all too well on how vicious the Red Scarves could be in a fight. She couldn't afford to make any mistakes or she would be dead.

She sucked her belly in to avoid a slash from the ninja that was aimed there. Just as the ninja missed, Carol butted the side of his hooded head with the handle of her sai. The ninja cried out in pain as blood began to trickle out of the slight cut that Carol had left on his head from the attack. The tomboy feline swung the sai towards the ninja but he managed to block the attack with one of his Sais. He swiped his weapon to one side, throwing Carol's arm aside as well and he lunged at the cat, hoping to plunge his sai straight into her stomach. But Carol was fast. She weaved to one side and dodged the attack. Then she did an amazing move that she remembered practicing during her days as a Red Scarf. She grabbed hold of the ninja's arm with her sai, his wrist now in-between the blade and the left prong. Carol pulled on it and flipped the ninja over onto his back in one amazing move. The ninja was so stunned that he didn't even know what had just happened. Carol twirled the sai around in her hand, pleased with how successfully she had managed to pull it off.

"Oh yeah! I still got it!" Carol cried excitedly, "Haven't done that in a while."

But the tomboy feline should have known better than to stand around and gloat. Another Red Scarf ninja sneaked up behind Carol and grabbed hold of her from behind. The cat yelped and tried to wrestle free from the ninja's grip but he held on tight. He was too strong for Carol. However, the wildcat knew full well that you didn't always have to break free from somebody grabbing hold of you. You could make them let go of you as well. Carol stomped down hard on the ninja's foot, causing him to let her go and scream a loud, shrilling pained scream. Now free, Carol whirled around at lightning speed and whipped the ninja across the face with the handle of her sai. The ninja's head snapped violently to one side, his cheek fractured from the hard hit, and her spiralled dizzily away from Carol. Then the wildcat leaped up and unleashed a volley of kicks onto the ninja, knocking him down and taking him out of the fight. But then before Carol could do anything else, a ninja elbowed her in the back and sent her flying forwards into a wall. The wildcat hit it and groaned in pain as if she had just been in a car crash and only just managed to survive it. She turned around to face her attacker and screamed as she noticed he had a long, curved katana in his hand. Carol pressed her back against the wall, staring at the katana in fear. She was trapped and with no way of saving herself from being run through by it. The tip of the katana was pointing at Carol's heart. The ninja kept it pointed at his cornered victim, enjoying every moment of having Carol at his mercy.

"Let's see the pretty kitty dance outta this one!" the ninja sneered.

"This is why you guys need to learn to shut up for once. You just gave me an idea!" Carol taunted.

She then proceeded to leap out of the way as the ninja lunged at her with his katana. Because of this, the ninja ended up plunging his katana straight into the wall, the blade burying itself about halfway into the wall with only half of it and the handle still sticking out. Carol laughed at the ninja's misfortune and then proceeded to run straight into him and knock him down as if she was a car running down a pedestrian in the street. The ninja was knocked down, releasing his katana as he fell onto his side. Carol threw the sai away and grabbed hold of the katana's handle. She yanked it clean out of the wall and spun it around, clearly enjoying the feel and weight of the weapon in her hands. She loved weapons like the katana and always found herself loving it when she could get her hands on one. She used the katana to perfection as another ninja came running towards her with a katana in his hands. The two ninjas clashed swords with each other, Carol swinging as viciously a possible and the Red Scarf ninja trying helplessly to keep up with her. He was fighting a losing battle though for Carol was much stronger and faster than he was. She landed every katana strike she launched onto his weapon and the ninja was finding it hard to block her blows. Then Carol suddenly swung her foot straight up into the red-hooded figure's arm and kicked the katana clean out of his hand. Now he was disarmed, Carol slashed him across the torso with the katana in one swift spin and then she kicked him in the gut, throwing him off his feet and onto the floor. Carol looked down at the weapon in her hand and she squealed excitedly.

"Oh yeah, I LOVE these things! I should keep this one so I can use it again sometime!" she hollered.

She then glanced over at Milla and saw that the hound seemed to have things under control. She summoned a green energy block to her hands and threw it at one of the ninjas, hitting him in the head and knocking him over onto his back. One ninja ran up behind Milla, wielding a nunchaku and he spun it around, intending to club Milla with it. The dog heard him before he even got close enough to hit her. She turned around and summoned a shield to her hands, the ninja swinging the nunchaku down towards her and hitting the shield instead of her. The nunchaku ended up bouncing off of the shield whacking its owner in the face as if a spring had been activated and sent it flying back into him. The ninja saw stars in front of his eyes as he gibbered unintelligibly to himself. He had a big gormless grin on his face and he didn't look as if he'd be fighting for much longer. He dropped the nunchaku and fainted in a rather comical manner as if he was a character in some cartoon Milla had watched on TV at Lilac's treehouse. The dog giggled.

"Hee, hee, hee! That was funny!" she laughed, "I hope I can do that again!"

She suddenly found herself crying out in surprise as a hand seized her from behind and hoisted her clean off of her feet. The puppy squirmed, trying to get free but the ninja who had grabbed her was holding her too tightly. She couldn't get free.

"Hey! Put me down!" Milla yelped, "It's rude to pick people up without their permission first!"

The ninja ignored her and he pulled out a wicked, serrated edge knife out of his pocket. It was a knife that would likely be used for throwing into people and he now held it just above Milla's chest, ready to stab the child and kill her. Milla gulped, frightened by the wicked blade. She began to sweat rainfalls as she imagined the blade stabbing down into her chest, penetrating her heart and finishing her off.

"HELP!" she squealed.

The ninja drew the knife back, ready to finish off his young opponent. But then Carol sprung to Milla's rescue, running towards the ninja and suddenly shoving the katana straight in front of his face before he could strike the dog. The cat's eyes were narrow slits of anger as she glowered at the ninja.

"Don't you ever threaten Milla's life!" she snarled viciously.

The ninja hesitated for a moment. He didn't dare move in fear of getting cut by the katana. The blade was directly in front of his face and his knife was in the wrong position to knock it out of the way. He had no choice but to remain still as Carol kept the katana poised and ready to attack. However, it wasn't Carol who ended up striking the ninja. It was Milla. She drew her arm back and avoiding Carol's katana, she punched the ninja in the eye. The red-hooded figure let out a shrilling squeal of pain as Milla's fist sharply connected with his eye. He dropped the hound and then put a hand over his pained eye. Then both Carol and Milla lashed out at him with their feet and kicked him down onto his back. Upon taking him out, Carol and Milla high-fived each other.

"Great punch Milla!" Carol exclaimed.

"Thank you!" Milla piped, "We're a good team me and you are!"

"Yeah, we work surprisingly well together." Carol said brightly, "Almost as well as how me and Lilac work together."

The moment the wildcat mentioned her draconian friend's name, Lilac suddenly shot out of nowhere and crashed down onto the ground at Carol and Milla's feet. She had a few cuts on her arms and legs, presumably from Spade's razor card weapons. She picked herself up, fighting off the stinging pain in her limbs as her card-wielding opponent stood before her, ready to attack again. He was heavily bruised and looked as if he was beginning to get tired. Carol and Milla got the impression that Spade was more hurt than Lilac was and that he would go down first. Lilac picked herself up and panted. Spade was panting too, only much harder. This confirmed that he was indeed getting exhausted. Lilac had been giving him a tough fight and it was beginning to show. He still seemed obtusely obstinate and like he wasn't willing to give up no matter what.

"You're good…I'll give you that…" Spade panted, "But your best…won't save you now!"

"Give it up Spade! Listen to yourself! You're wearing down!" Lilac cried, "You can't possibly go on any longer so why keep trying?!"

"I…won't give in…to you!" Spade retorted.

He then suddenly leapt up into the air and fired a torrent of cards at Lilac as if he was firing them out of a gun. This was his strongest attack and Lilac knew that it was hard to dodge. She nevertheless attempted it anyway, throwing herself aside as the cards hurled towards her like projectiles. She nearly made it but the cards all ended up hitting her in the legs, knocking her aside and sending her spinning. The dragon wasn't down and out. Far from it. She picked herself up just as Carol and Milla ran over to observe her. It didn't seem to them that they needed to help Lilac get back up. The dragon simply rubbed her legs better as if she had only been bumped slightly rather than bombarded by projectile cards. Lilac turned to face her friends and she smiled her usual daring smile that always showed she was ready for anything.

"Wanna help me kick Spade's ass?" asked Lilac.

"Looks like you've done fine enough on your own but we'll help finish the job." Carol offered, winking at her best friend.

"We'll stop him together!" Milla squealed excitedly.

"Then let's give it to him girls!" Lilac cried out gleefully.

The trio all turned to face Spade just as the panda began throwing more cards at them. The cards sailed through the air, threatening to cut them to pieces as they closed the distance between themselves and their opponents. The girls were ready for them, already jumping out of the way and leaving the cards to scatter everywhere. Lilac briefly wondered how Spade never seemed to run out of those cards. He seemed to have a limitless supply. Spade could throw as many cards as he liked though, he was not going to win this battle. Lilac sprang up into the air and came hurling towards Spade in a Dragon Cyclone attack. The panda jumped out of her way but he ended up getting hit anyway for Carol had positioned herself where Spade was jumping to. The panda landed in front of her, not knowing she was there and was surprised when somebody ended up pounding him heavily in the back with a volley of fisticuffs. Every punch Carol threw felt like a hammer crashing down on Spade's back. Carol then kicked him in the small of his back, throwing him off his feet and sending him flying towards Lilac. Lilac whipped him away with her trademark twin tendrils and sent him crashing down onto his side. As Spade landed, he picked himself up only to get hammered by a huge green energy block that Milla summoned and threw at him. He was brought down onto his side once again.

Lilac, Carol and Milla stood intensely before Spade, waiting to see if he was going to finally give up and let himself be arrested. The panda pushed himself up onto his knees and glowered at his opponents, clearly intending to carry on much to Lilac's annoyance. However, he was finally stopped by the last person anybody could have suspected. The panda was suddenly walloped across the back of his head by a nunchaku. Who had done it? The girls didn't take long to find out as Spade fainted onto the floor and his attacker smirked gleefully at him. It was King Dail. After taking out several ninjas, he had decided to help the girls finish off the fight with Spade by knocking him out from behind. Spade lay still on the floor, his eyes closed and his breathing steady. He had a bump on his head from where Dail had hit him. Dail looked very pleased with himself.

"Take that…brother." he spat.

"Well, looks like Spade-y boy here just received a "Royal Flush"!" Carol exclaimed, chortling at her own joke.

"You just made TWO different puns at once with just two words Carol! I'm impressed!" Lilac snickered.

"Well done your majesty!" Milla cried out gleefully, "You knocked him out!"

"I sure did little girl." said Dail casually, "That'll teach him to kidnap me and attempt to use me for ransom. I will say though, you three were simply AMAZING in that fight!" he gasped, "Seriously, I heard you three were amazing but you defied all my expectations! Milla's got magic powers, Carol's an ace at martial arts and you Lilac…you're something to make eyes pop! Seriously, not many people can use their hair as weapons like you can! You're an ace you are!"

Lilac blushed red with pleasure.

"You-you-you're too kind…" she stammered, trying to hide her blush.

"No I mean it Lilac! You and your friends are amazing!" Dail exclaimed, "In fact, I can now totally believe you three took out Lord Brevon! With how ace at fighting you all are, it's no wonder you beat him!"

"You got that right!" Carol cried conceitedly, "Team Lilac can handle any threat no matter what it is!"

"You still haven't got a better name for us." Lilac snickered teasingly.

Carol just smiled sheepishly. She'd grown to think that Team Lilac was actually a good name for the team and didn't really want to change it.

"Anyway, we'll take my brother to be locked up and then I can announce your good deeds to the populace." Dail said brightly, "Shuigang will be so happy with you three for what you've done today. I can't thank you enough for coming to save me."

"You know us your honour, we do what's right." Lilac said casually, "People cause trouble, we fix the trouble. We're just doing the right thing and putting our lives on the line for people like you."

"And that behaviour right there is why I still wonder why Mayor Zao doesn't believe you're innocent of the atrocities you unwillingly committed under the Dark Stone's influence." the king said grimly, "Seriously, there's no way in hell you'd willingly use that death gem with the kind of mind-set you have Lilac!"

"I know and that's why I'm hoping what I've done today will finally convince the world I'm innocent and that they have nothing to fear." Lilac murmured.

"Well come with me to Shuigang and they can hear all about your good deeds." Dail said, picking up Spade's unconscious body and draping him over his shoulder.

Lilac was all too happy to go ahead with the idea. She followed Dail as he left the corridor with Spade in two. Carol and Milla followed them, leaving the battered and bruised Red Scarves behind. They would later call General Gong and tell him that this was their hideout so the panda could arrest them all and throw them back in The Magister's dungeon. The girls and the king left the Red Scarves's hideout and headed off to Shuigang once again. Unknown to them, as they left, a mysterious robed figure was watching them leave. He was dressed in a red robe with gold trimmings and he had a cane in his hand. The cane was actually an energy conductor and in the cane, the figure had the Dark Stone's evil energy swimming around inside of it. The figure watched the girls and king leave Relic Maze before striding off into the Red Scarves's hideout himself. He had actually managed to follow the trio to the hideout without them knowing. He was keen to meet the Red Scarves though he was a little disappointed that Spade had gone and got himself captured. He would break him out later. The figure entered the cell corridor, the Red Scarves picking themselves up just in time to see him as he entered. The figure smiled casually at them.

"Hello Red Scarves. I require your generous assistance for a rather big plan I have in mind…" he purred, his accent thickly British and his voice soft and pleasant, "And you'll be most interested. It involves rescuing your leader…and getting revenge on Sash Lilac…"

* * *

Much later in Shuigang, the four Avalicians had finally returned to the grandiose city with its trademark green colours and grand buildings. As expected, there was a huge crowd waiting for Dail's return and they exploded with joy upon seeing him arrive, safe and sound with no signs of any injuries or damages. It made them feel even happier to see that their beloved king was unharmed. But what made them really explode with joy was seeing that Dail not only had the man who had kidnapped him draped on his shoulder, but he had Lilac, Carol and Milla beside him, the girls showing some signs of having been in a heavy battle due to a few bruises and cuts, especially on Lilac. Carol still had the katana she'd nicked from one of the Red Scarves earlier. Dail held up a hand and ordered the crowd to be silent. The Shuigang Palace guards, who were at the front of the crowd, ushered forward and ran up to greet their king. Dail handed Spade's unconscious body over to the guards.

"Lock him up and make sure he can't escape." he ordered.

The guards obeyed and they quickly took Spade away. The moment they left, Dail addressed the excited crowd.

"My people! Your king has returned!" he announced, "But I couldn't have returned home to you all without the help of three VERY brave girls. These girls…" he motioned over to Lilac, Carol and Milla, "Have displayed amazing valour and strength today, braving the dangers of the Red Scarves and risking their lives to save mine and free me from my criminal brother's hands! Please give a warm welcome to these three, especially Lilac the Dragon Girl. She orchestrated the rescue mission so she deserves ALL the credit for my rescue."

The crowd cheered for the trio ecstatically, even the people who had believed that Lilac was evil. Lilac smiled bashfully at the crowd, taking in their praise. The people of Shuigang could see now that they had been wrong the whole time. There was no way that they could disbelieve this. Lilac had injuries from her fight with Spade, that was proof that she had willingly fought against him and risked her life for Dail's They also remembered her announcement earlier and she had been true to her word. She had come back with their king in hand. They all believed that Lilac really was good. Except for one…

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP YOU MORONS!" bellowed a terrible voice that made Lilac's face fall.

The crowd fell silent as an old turtle hobbled forward and pointed his cane accusingly at Lilac. It was, of course, Timothy Turtle again. He hadn't finished with Lilac yet and still wanted everybody to be against her. He waved his cane around as if it was a magic wand and he was trying to cast a spell on Lilac.

"Do you seriously believe for a minute that this charlatan before you is as good as she claims to be?!" Timothy barked, addressing the crowd, "How do we know she's not saving the king's life just to try and manipulate us and make us believe she's on our side?"

"Timothy, you are way out of line!" Dail snapped, "Get back in line now!"

"Oh, so now his majesty's accusing me of stepping out of line when all I'm doing is trying to warn you all of what this evil creature before you is really like?!" Timothy exclaimed, pointing his cane at Dail angrily, "So it seems that the truth has been revealed my friends…"

He turned back to the crowd and spoke again.

"We're in the middle of a giant conspiracy!" Timothy announced, "And our beloved king's involved! I bet he WANTED the Red Scarves to capture him just so he could have Lilac save him and thus, trick us into believe she's good!"

"That's a steaming pile of horses***!" Carol swore, "That's not it at all! You're just a paranoid twat who needs to stop bad-mouthing Lilac and accept her for what she is and not for what you falsely believe she is!"

"You're one to talk given you just used bad language at me!" the turtle snapped back at Carol.

"Look Timothy, you've got it all wrong!" Lilac shouted angrily, "There's no conspiracy at all! Dail had nothing to do with the Red Scarves and I went out to save his life BECAUSE IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO!"

The crowd nodded agreeably, believing Lilac for they had no reason at all to doubt her. They all glared at Timothy, disgusted that he was trying to make Lilac look like a monster for no real reason. They even began booing him. The turtle recoiled. Lilac suddenly became terrifying when she was angry and shouting and it didn't help how the crowd was on her side. He felt weighed down by them all. Lilac continued.

"I do good things because they're the right thing to do! I saved Dail's life because it was the right thing to do! I couldn't just let Spade use him for ransom like he planned to! I stopped Lord Brevon, TWICE in fact, because I couldn't let him doom our planet! I stopped The Christmas Raid because I couldn't let the Red Scarves ruin the holiday for us! Tell me…does THAT sound like somebody who wants to manipulate you all? I could NEVER manipulate you all! I could never betray this world! I love Avalice…with all my heart!"

She put a hand over her heart as if to emphasize her point.

"I stake my life for this planet…because I love it and I want the world to be happy so it can appreciate the beauty and greatness that our world is renowned for." Lilac said, "So please…don't listen to this delusional old man here." she added, motioning to Timothy, "He's full of nothing but lies and paranoia. I am Sash Lilac the Dragon Girl, heroine of Avalice and somebody who has your best interests at heart. That…is the truth about me."

The crowd was moved quite to tears by Lilac's speech. Some of the people were dabbing at their eyes with handkerchiefs while others were wowed by Lilac's speech. Then they all cheered, giving Lilac all of their support and letting her know that like Shang Tu, they believed her at last. Timothy looked disappointed that the crowd was against him. He glared at Lilac with his aged old eyes, his ridiculously large eyebrows failing to add anything to his angry face.

"You win this round, but this isn't over yet dragon scum!" he growled, "I'll prove that you're a nasty little dragon who's as evil as the rest of your kind if it's the last thing I do!"

"Oh get lost you pompous old windbag!" Lilac shouted, "Nobody wants you here and nobody believes you now!"

"Yeah! Beat it you grumpy old troll!" yelled Carol angrily.

"You're a nasty man and we don't want you around! Go away!" Milla yelled.

"Please Timothy, just leave before you upset anybody else…" Dail said in annoyance.

Seeing that he wasn't getting anywhere, the old reptile decided to do just that. Sighing loudly, he turned and walked away. He knew it wasn't worth getting into bigger trouble when the entire populace of Shuigang was now against him. As soon as he left, Dail turned to Lilac and smiled again.

"I will say, I quite liked your testimony." he said, "That's the definitive proof that you're a heroine Lilac. I'm so happy to hear that you love our world so much."

"Well the world is the reason we all exist." explained Lilac, "We have to show how much we appreciate it for giving us life. And I am very grateful to the world for my existence."

"As am I." Dail replied, "And I'm so glad that Shuigang all believes that you're good at last."

"I hope Shang Mu will follow suit…" Lilac said glumly, "Well anyway, thank you so much for your kindness your majesty and it was a pleasure to rescue you from the scarves." she added, sounding much happier.

"You're welcome." Dail said kindly, "And with Spade locked up, the Red Scarves are going to have a harder time functioning without their leader. I'll take some guards back to the palace so we can arrest the rest of those filthy ninjas."

"Sounds like a good idea." the dragon said approvingly, "We'll see you later King Dail. We're going to go home and get some rest now."

"Rest well my heroic dragon." Dail said pleasantly, "Goodbye and thanks for everything!"

"Goodbye and you're welcome for everything!" Lilac called back.

She then turned on her heels and walked away from Shuigang with Carol and Milla walking off after them. With nothing left to see and the king now back safe and sound, the crowd departed and began continuing with their daily activities. King Dail headed back to his palace, happy that he was now back home and his criminal brother was in prison where he belonged. Unknown to anybody, Timothy Turtle was watching Lilac, Carol and Milla leave the city. His eyes were narrowed suspiciously at the girls. He was more focused on Lilac than the other two as if wondering if he could work something out about her. Then Timothy turned around and walked away, still bitter about the crowd turning on him and siding with Lilac…

* * *

Later, Lilac, Carol and Milla arrived back home at the treehouse and they climbed up the ladder to the front door. They let themselves in and were instantly greeted by an ecstatic Miguel and Lela. The two hounds embraced Lilac and Carol each, the wildcat a little embarrassed but nevertheless tolerating the hug anyway, and then they both hugged Milla. The little puppy's tail wagged happily, pleased to be back in her parent's arms.

"You're all back!" Lela squealed excitedly, "Just was we hoped you would be! Thank heavens above!"

"How did the mission go then sweetie?" asked Miguel eagerly, stroking his daughter's hair, "Did you save King Dail?"

"We did daddy, we did!" Milla squealed excitedly, "We all managed to break into their hideout and we freed the king and then we all fought the ninjas and then the king knocked Spade out and we arrested him and now the people of Shuigang love Lilac again!"

"Oh my dear child, that's wonderful to hear!" Lela exclaimed, "Thank goodness everything went so well for you three! And congratulations on redeeming yourself in the public's eye Lilac!" she added, looking over at the dragon.

"It's definitely a start, and a good one at that." Lilac said casually, "Sadly, some old coot named Timothy Turtle keeps trying to demonize me but luckily, nobody believes a word he says now. He won't cause much trouble."

"That's good." said Miguel.

Then he noticed some of the cuts that Lilac had received in her fight with Spade. Some of them had already healing, some were beginning to heal and some were still open and stinging a little bit.

"Oh my goodness, you're a mess Lilac!" the hound exclaimed, "We'll get you some plasters and antiseptic cream immediately!"

"Mr. Basset, please don't fuss over me." the dragon said hastily, "I'm fine. I don't need any first aid."

"Well have some antiseptic anyway." Lela said firmly, "We can't have those cuts getting infected."

"Do your parents always worry about injuries and cuts and bruises like this?" asked Carol, looking over at Milla.

"They don't like it when somebody gets badly hurt." Milla replied, "They're very sensitive. They fuss over me when I hurt myself."

"It's what parents do." said Lilac casually, "Mine were just the same when I was…"

The dragon suddenly stopped dead in her tracks and looked sad. It was as if the happiness had drained out of her body and sadness had replaced it. The four Avalicians read the warning signs immediately and Carol walked up to her.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing…I just, feel a little sad when I think about mom and dad…" Lilac said sadly.

"What happened to them?" asked Milla.

"Please…I don't to talk about it…" the dragon said, fighting back tears, "It's too upsetting."

"I'm sorry." the hound said guiltily.

Lilac smiled warmly at her canine friend and patted her head softly.

"It's OK." she said kindly, "You weren't to know."

Milla smiled back, pleased that Lilac had forgiven her. In order to change the subject, Miguel suddenly ran over to the nearby coffee table, an opulent piece of furniture donated from Shang Tu and baring the city's trademark colours. He picked up the letter that he and Lela had received from General Gong earlier.

"I just remembered, this is for you Lilac." said Miguel, handing the teen-girl the letter.

"For me? Who's it from?" asked Lilac curiously.

"Gong delivered it to us. It's from somebody you know." the grey-furred hound replied.

Lilac was curious. Who could be sending her a letter that required Gong to deliver it to her? Lilac opened the letter and read it. It was not from Gong himself, nor was it from The Magister. The handwriting was different to theirs but Lilac recognized it. She did know who this was from. Her heart skipping, she read through the letter. After getting to the end, she folded up the letter and looked over at her friends in surprise. Her face was surprised but not in a way that suggested fear.

"Well? Who's it from?" asked Carol.

"It's from Natalya…" Lilac replied, "And she wants to see me…"

* * *

_**So Lilac's got Natalya's message! But will she answer her call and see her? Or will Lilac refuse and leave her to be lonely in her cell? Find out next time...**_


	5. Chapter 5: Natalya's Past

_Chapter 5: Natalya's Past_

The atmosphere in the living room had suddenly become quite tense and almost unpleasant. It was as if the pleasantness that had filled the room upon Lilac, Carol and Milla's return had suddenly been sucked out of it with a vacuum cleaner. Lilac had read the letter that Gong had delivered to Miguel and Lela from Shang Tu's sole prisoner, Natalya the Lead Scarf. Although "Lead Scarf" was no longer her title as she had relinquished the title after the Dark Stone Event two weeks ago. Upon reading the letter, the dragon girl had been quite surprised to hear that Natalya of all people wanted to see her. She had announced this out loud and wasn't surprised at all to have a chorus of surprised gasps from her two friends and the parents of one of her friends. They all stared at her as if she'd just announced that the apocalypse was beginning.

"Na…Natalya...she wants…to see you?" Carol gasped.

"I'm afraid so Carol." Lilac replied, looking a little glum at the idea.

She knew that it wasn't fair of her to be doubtful about receiving an invitation from her former enemy since she had turned over a new leaf and was doing time in prison but the dragon still couldn't help but feel unsure about Natalya whenever she was involved in anything.

"You mean that the former Red Scarf leader actually wants to see you?" Milla piped in surprise, "How will she see you? She's in prison isn't she?"

"She is, which is why she's invited me to come over to the Royal Palace and meet her in her cell." explained Lilac, "She obviously can't meet me anywhere else so I have to come to her."

"That sounds a little fishy to me…" Miguel murmured, his voice full of concern, "What if Natalya wants you to come to her cell so she can dispose of you easily?"

"Don't talk nonsense dear, why would Natalya want to hurt Lilac?" asked Lela, "She helped us get rid of Lord Brevon and willingly allowed herself to be arrested. She literally has no reason to harm Lilac in anyway now."

"Mrs. Basset is right, Natalya has no qualms against me anymore." Lilac said, "If she wants to see me, it's not because she has my tombstone ready for me. I'm still wondering what she wants to see me for."

"Do you think you should go buddy?" asked Carol nervously, "I mean, it's perfectly understandable if you don't wanna see her Royal Bitchiness again but if you think you should heed Natalya's call then do it. Just remember to be watchful of her, you never know what that leather-clad dragon will do."

The dragon frowned at her feline friend.

"You know, I'm surprised at you four." Lilac said coldly, her face deathly serious, "Despite the fact Natalya's good now and has proven she's changed sides and despite me pointing out why we should sympathize with her, you STILL treat her as if she's wild animal waiting to pounce on us! Shame on you, all of you! How do you think Natalya would feel if she could hear you all right now?"

"Says the one who seemed a little surprised and doubtful about visiting her!" snapped Carol.

"I was surprised because I wasn't expecting it and I'm doubtful because I'm not sure if I should answer her or not!" the dragon retorted, "I may feel sorry for Natalya but that doesn't mean I have to go see her if I don't want to!"

The wildcat was about to argue again but she knew that deep inside, her best friend was right. She was being unnecessarily hard towards Natalya and given how morbid the dragon had become after her encounter with Lord Brevon, she couldn't imagine that her former leader would be too pleased to hear this. And as Lilac had once suggested in the healing spa two weeks ago, they wanted Natalya to stay good, not give her a reason to turn on them again. Sighing, Carol looked down at her feet.

"You're right…I'm sorry Lilac…" she said.

"Don't sweat it." said Lilac softly, "It's understandable why you're unsure about her but just remember, I'm a victim of bad rep too. You know how I'm feeling with some of the people of Avalice being scared of me so surely you can have the same kinda sympathy for Natalya? I know fully well that you're no hypocrite Carol."

"You know…that's a good point!" Carol exclaimed, "You're under fire because some people are stupid enough to think you willingly used the Dark Stone and turned traitor! Well Shuigang now believes you're good but still. And Natalya might be sad that people aren't willing to believe she's good now and don't trust her because of her bad reputation! Man I feel so insensitive…I really should have thought about that…"

"We ALL should have dearie." said Lela, nodding agreeably, "If we're allowed to sympathize with Lilac due to people distrusting her than why should we be any different to Natalya? True we KNOW Lilac's innocent but at the same time, we know that Natalya's turned good."

"So I guess we do deserve to be shamed for being suspicious of her…" Miguel said solemnly.

"As I said, it's understandable given how easy it is to build a bad reputation and how hard it is to redeem yourself from said reputation." Lilac said, "It's something mom always told me, "It takes years to build a good rep and only seconds to build a bad one". That's what she said to me a lot when I was a kid…"

Then Lilac suddenly widened her eyes and stood still for a moment as a sudden thought came into her head. It was as if the thought had literally just leaped into her head and made her go rigid for a brief moment.

"Wait a minute…" she murmured, "Natalya mentioned mom's name and when I asked her if she was talking about mom…she said it was a story for another time…"

She snapped her fingers as she figured out, presumably, why Natalya wanted to meet her.

"Maybe Natalya's going to tell me about her friend Dawn!" she exclaimed, "Maybe she wants to tell me if indeed it was my mom she was referring to when she mentioned her name two weeks ago! That's probably why she wants to see me!"

Carol and Milla nodded, thinking that Lilac had gotten the right idea. Miguel and Lela murmured amongst each other, wondering if Lilac was right.

"You know, that's quite possible…" Lela mused.

"You think Natalya wants to see you because she wants to tell you about somebody she once knew?" asked Carol, "Couldn't she have just sent you a letter about this Dawn gal?"

"I think she wants me to hear the story in person…" Lilac mused, "It's probably better if I do. Letters can be deceiving but hearing the truth in person, it's far easier to recognize the truth. Something that Natalya herself taught us remember?"

"Oh yeah, the art of seeing through deception…" the wildcat thought aloud, "Point taken Lilac."

"So will you go to see Natalya?" asked Miguel.

The teen-dragon thought very carefully for a moment. The invitation hadn't been an order, it had been a polite request for her to come and see her. Natalya was giving her the option to accept or decline the invitation. Yet another change in Natalya's character that proved the one she knew was officially dead and that the new, good Natalya was in her place. Lilac looked back at the letter, unfolding it so she could read it again. She then folded the letter up again and sighed. Her sigh carried no emotion. Should she stay or should she go? She wondered if Natalya would be heartbroken if she refused the invitation. Lilac remembered how Natalya had displayed affection for her when she led the Red Scarves. She had consistently declared her as special and had even claimed she loved her. Her refusal would definitely upset her greatly. Lilac had once thought Natalya was trying to manipulate her. But now, she was sure she had actually meant it. If she had connections with her deceased mother than maybe her love for Lilac was a reminiscent of her old friendship with this supposed woman named Dawn. She couldn't refuse, not if it meant upsetting Natalya for no real reason other than spite and distrust when she had no reason to do those things. The dragon made her mind up. She would go. She looked at her friends and answered.

"Yes…yes I will." she said softly, "I will go and see Natalya. Maybe I'll learn something from her while we're there, maybe I'll see just how much she's changed. Nevertheless, I'm going to see her tonight."

Her friends nodded.

"Alright then Lilac, hope you have nice visit tonight." said Carol.

"Be sure to tell us all about it." added Milla.

"And for our sakes dear, please be careful around her." Lela chimed in.

"Good luck tonight and please tell us how it went." Miguel finished.

"I will. Thank you my friends." said Lilac appreciatively, "I have a feeling that tonight's going to be interesting…more interesting than I thought."

Deep inside, the dragon had the feeling that she was totally right and that she couldn't possibly imagine what was in store for her when she ventured into Natalya's cell this very evening…

* * *

The day was beginning to dusk, the sun setting behind the horizon as it prepared to go to sleep for the night and bathed Avalice in blankets of shadows that darkened everything in sight. The evening was here and nightfall was on its way. The sky was a beautiful mixture of pink and orange as the sun began to set. Soon it would be the night sky and the moon and stars would come out to make the sky less plain to look at.

Lilac had decided that now was the time to meet up with her old nemesis. She was still wondering what on Avalice it was that Natalya wanted to see her about. She was sure she knew but at the same time, the curious dragon couldn't help but wonder if it was a bit more than that. Maybe Natalya wanted to share secrets with her? Secrets that she would never normally tell anybody. If her mysterious friend was indeed Lilac's late mother then she would be happy to share secrets with her friend's daughter. It would be flattering to think that the woman who had wanted her dead at first was opening up and willingly sharing secrets with her. But would Lilac like what she was going to hear? The dragon shook her thoughts out of her head. She couldn't assume anything at all for she didn't know what was going to happen until she arrived at the cell. She would wait and see what Natalya wanted to see her for.

Lilac had left the treehouse immediately after dinner, which had been at six o' clock. It was seven o' clock now, meaning she had been walking for an hour and she still had roughly fifteen more minutes before she arrived. She didn't want to run to Shang Tu for she didn't want anybody to think she was in a hurry for anything. She wanted to take it slowly and even admire the sunset as she walked by. She had watched it set all around her and it was nearly completely gone behind the horizon. The dragon could feel the temperature dropping as the warm day became a cold night. It was a summer night so it would be warmer than usual tonight.

The dragon walked on for fifteen more minutes before finally arriving at Shang Tu. Had she run to the city, she would have arrived in about twenty minutes or so. Lilac smiled as she entered Shang Tu. It was the one city that believed her from the start when she had told The Magister that the Dark Stone was used to stain her image and ruin her reputation. She felt good now that Shuigang was on Shang Tu's side as of today and she had a feeling that King Dail had already told The Magister about what she had done today. Lilac roamed through the city until finally reaching the Royal Palace. She then knocked on the door and waited for an answer. General Gong heard the knock from inside the palace and he opened the door to see who it was. To his surprise, it was Lilac herself standing there and waiting to be invited in. He had a feeling he knew why she was here.

"Good evening dragon girl." he said politely, "So I guess you got Natalya's message?"

"I sure did." Lilac said, "And after very careful consideration, I decided that I wanted to answer her call. I'm here to see her, as hard to believe as that is…"

"I was beckoning on you ignoring her invitation if I'm to be honest." Gong murmured, "Oh well, you're here now so I'll take you to see Natalya. You might be surprised on what she wants to see you for."

"I'm still wondering what it is she wants to see me for." Lilac admitted, "Though I have a guess on what it could be. We'll see if I'm right or not."

"I suppose." the panda said, "Come with me dragon girl. Your appointment with Natalya awaits."

Lilac obeyed. She allowed herself to be escorted through the grand hallway and to the dungeon. She remembered how The Magister had locked her and her friends in there during the political outrage Lord Brevon had caused last year, wrongly believing that they were in the wrong due to Lilac and Carol being former criminals. It felt strange to be coming down to the dungeons again only in this circumstance, she wasn't being arrested and instead was here to visit a prisoner rather than occupy her own cell. How many prisoners got visitors when they were locked up in their cells? Was Natalya just lucky that she was actually getting one tonight? Did The Magister often allow prisoners to receive visitors? Gong seemed to read Lilac's mind as he responded.

"I had to give The Magister a LOT of convincing to allow this." he admitted, "He wasn't sure about letting Natalya give you a message. We compromised on how she writes the letter and I deliver it to you. If you didn't answer it than that would have been fine, though I guess Natalya might have been disappointed…"

"It's why I'm here. I worried that if I didn't come, I'd greatly upset her." the dragon admitted, "And she's upset enough as it is. So that's why I'm here general."

"It's awful generous of you, that I can say." Gong said kindly, "Let's hope Natalya makes your visit worthwhile."

"It's definitely going to be interesting…" Lilac murmured.

Gong and Lilac walked down the stairs and to the dungeon door. Gong unlocked the door and he opened it, the hinges creaking and sending shivers up Lilac's spine. The two Avalicians walked in and Gong locked the door behind them, presumably for safety reasons. Lilac eyed the row of cells that stretched from one end of the room to the other. It was hard to believe that a palace as grand and majestic as Royal Palace of Shang Tu housed so many cells underneath it. There had been enough to hold all of the Red Scarves after last year's Christmas Raid had been foiled. Lilac was pleased to see that the damages done to the dungeon had been fixed. The hole in which Natalya and Spade had blown in order to enter the cell blockade had long since been repaired. Lilac was a little sad to see that the cells were all empty except for one. That wasn't a good sign since it meant not many criminals were getting their just desserts lately. She hoped that would change. Before Gong went any further, he pulled Lilac close and whispered into her ear.

"OK, we know Natalya's good but we have safety precautions just in case she tried anything." the gruff-voiced panda said, "When you come into her cell, I'm afraid I'm going to have to lock you in. If you can't get out, neither can she. If she does anything bad to you though, call me and I'll let you out."

"That's fine general." Lilac whispered back, "But please, can you not watch too closely? I don't want Natalya feeling like she's being observed unfairly. I want her to feel comfortable while I'm here."

"I'll be listening, but I'll stay outta sight." Gong promised, "I'll stand by the door and won't so much as glance in unless of course I need to let you out."

"Thanks." the dragon said, "Well, here goes…"

Breathing in deeply, Lilac walked over to Natalya's cell. She remembered how the martial arts expert had said she had the biggest cell in the blockade in the letter she'd given her and Lilac could see it straight away. The huge cell door was much bigger than the other cell-doors, meaning that it had to be Natalya's cell. The dragon reached the door and looked through the bars to see her old enemy lying on a comfortable bed, seemingly asleep although as far as Lilac was concerned, she was sure Natalya never went to sleep this early. It was only the evening. She might be resting her eyes or having a nap. Gong inserted the key into the lock of Natalya's cell door and he opened it up, allowing Lilac to walk inside. The moment Lilac was in, he shut the door and locked it. The dragon was now trapped in the cell with her draconian enemy-turned-ally. She reminded herself that Gong would let her out when she called for it and turned to see him position himself by the door, out of sight and on the alert. Lilac looked back over at Natalya. The woman didn't even seem to have heard her enter. Her eyes were still closed and she hadn't stirred. She wasn't dead. Lilac could see her chest rising up and down as she slowly breathed. She was surprised to see that Natalya wasn't wearing her usual trench coat. She was wearing a black tank top that exposed her arms, shoulders and part of her chest. It gave Natalya a rather sporty look, a look that seemed fitting yet unusual on her. Swallowing nervously, Lilac approached Natalya. She'd never been this close to her in a situation like this. She almost felt like she was locked in a cage with a lioness. However this lioness wasn't going to hurt her, she had to remember that. Lilac cleared her throat.

"G-g-good e-evening Natalya." she said softly, trying to keep her voice steady.

That seemed to wake up the mauve-skinned dragon for her eyes opened and she sat up. She hadn't been sleeping at all, she had been relaxing and resting, waiting to hear any updates from Lilac after her letter had been sent. She sat up, stretched and then swung her legs round off the bed. She turned her head and saw the one person in the world she wanted to meet standing before her. Natalya smiled sweetly, although Lilac was sure she was at least trying to smile sweetly for she ended up looking slightly awkward.

"Sash Lilac! My dear child, you've come after all!" she exclaimed, "I'm so happy to see my favourite student again!"

"Please, I'm not "your student" anymore." Lilac murmured, feeling a little uncomfortable, "I'm not a Red Scarf anymore and neither are you. We're just Lilac and Natalya, nothing more."

"I deeply apologize my dear." said Natalya, looking a little guilty that already she had made her beloved Lilac feel uneasy, "I'm just…used to referring to you that way. Please don't take umbrage at me."

"No, no, it's OK! Honest!" Lilac protested, "I should be more polite and considerate to you. Ahem, anyway, you…wanted to see me?" she asked.

"It's why you received my letter Lilac." Natalya said casually.

"Why did you want to see me?" the teen-dragon asked.

"For many different reasons." the older-dragon admitted, "Please, sit down and we'll talk."

Lilac seemed hesitant to come closer. Natalya once again tried smiling sweetly at her favourite student.

"I won't hurt you." she promised, "I'm beyond that now. You're quite safe with me."

Lilac nodded. She believed Natalya. The Natalya she knew would never try to be so pleasant to her. Even during The Christmas Raid, she'd been very unsubtle in her faux politeness and didn't try to make her and Carol feel more comfortable. She was telling the truth. Lilac walked up to the bed and then sat down beside Natalya. It was the closest she had ever been to the dragon in a scenario that didn't involve her trying to kill her, beat her up or seduce her. This felt a lot more pleasant than those other times. Lilac allowed an awkward silence to fill the room before she spoke.

"Well um, this is a comfortable bed. You know, for a prison cell." she mused.

"Oh yes. The prisoners who deserve mercy the most are given this cell." Natalya explained, "Thus, we get the comfiest bed and the roomiest cell. I guess because of my heel-turn, I deserved this odd bit of luxury."

"Are you miserable here Natalya?" Lilac asked sympathetically.

"Very much so dear…but I'm willing to put up with my sadness if it means proving that I'm a changed woman now." the red-eyed dragon said, "Maybe after I serve my sentence, I'll be deserving of my freedom."

"How long are you here for?"

"Depends how well behaved I am. I might be released in a few weeks, maybe a month if I behave myself."

Lilac nodded. She thought that Natalya deserved to be released sooner rather than later. It was a deserving reward for how noble she had become since her change to good. As Natalya and Lilac talked, the teen-dragon had noticed with satisfaction just how pleasantly she was talking to her. Her voice was soft and patient, her words indicated how much she had changed and how far beyond her original personality she was and she was keeping herself to herself, not daring to reach out and touch Lilac for any reason. She was perfectly safe in the cell with the former crime boss after all. Because of this, Lilac began to relax, her posture less rigid and her expression softer.

"I hope you get out soon so you can show the world how good you are now." Lilac said softly.

"That's very kind of you dear." Natalya said brightly, "You know, it feels kinda funny…one moment we've been trying to kill each other and now we're acting as if we're old friends. Heh, heh…I guess changing your personality is a funny experience."

"At least you're doing the right thing, don't let go of that." the dragon advised, "So um, would you like to hear how my day's been?"

"Tell me all about it." Natalya said kindly.

Lilac smiled. In that brief moment, Natalya had become like her late mother. She had always been interested in hearing what her daughter had to say. Now Natalya wanted to hear about her day. She would never have been that interested before, she would have just been interested in thinking of how she could exploit the girl's unique talents. Lilac cleared her throat and then spoke.

"Me and my friends went to Shuigang this morning to do some shopping but sadly, some of the populace there ended up being nervous about me." she explained, "And then an old turtle named Timothy started bad-mouthing me and trying to convince everybody that I'm some evil monster waiting to take over the world or something. Man he was a jerk!"

"I'm sorry to hear that…" Natalya said sadly, knowing that it was all her fault this had happened for teaming up with Brevon and ruining Lilac's reputation with the Dark Stone.

"It's OK. Anyway, Dail saw me and he comforted me, he's a really nice guy, and then suddenly the Red Scarves appeared. Sadly, they DIDN'T resign when you ordered them to. Instead, Spade decided to crown himself leader and take over."

"WHAT?!" Natalya screamed in surprise, "That impudent little…how dare he! Refusing to resign the Red Scarves when I gave him the order?! I swear if I ever get out of this cell, I'm going to give him another punishment. His LAST punishment!"

"No need Natalya, he's in prison now." Lilac said hastily, "You see, he kidnapped King Dail but one of his men was left behind. I threatened to lock him up and as it turned out, he's claustrophobic so he ended up helping us. He also planned to leave the scarves so he was happy to help us. Because of him, we found the Red Scarves's hideout and I tricked Spade into tying me and Carol up so that he wouldn't suspect anything. I cut myself and Carol free, then we freed the king and finally, we beat up the scarves and kicked Spade's butt. He's now in the Shuigang Prison, where he belongs and the rest of the Red Scarves will hopefully be locked up once Dail sends his guards to Relic Maze to arrest them. But the best part is…Shuigang loves me again! Spade, in a way, helped me fix my reputation believe it or not!"

Natalya nodded, taking in what Lilac had been telling her.

"Well…who'd have thought Spade would end up doing something good for a change?" she gasped, "Thanks to him, you managed to fix your reputation and Shuigang doesn't fear you anymore. He's, in a way, fixing the mess I caused!"

"It depends of Shang Mu now believes I'm good as well after today." Lilac said, "By the way, I think I've digressed enough. This isn't meant to be about me, it's meant to be about you as you invited me here."

She turned to face the dragon, noticing how her red eyes were so much less threatening now. They were kind and almost warm.

"So…why did you invite me to meet you?" Lilac asked, hoping to finally get the answer.

Natalya nodded, deciding that it was indeed time she told Lilac the reason she was here. Sighing sadly, Natalya spoke.

"I've invited you for a couple of reasons." she said, "The first being that I've actually missed your company and I wanted to see you again. The second…is about something VERY personal."

"Go on." Lilac said.

"It's time you heard a story my little Lilac. MY story…" Natalya announced, "You see, you are about to become the first Avalician in years…to learn about my past."

Lilac's eyes widened.

"You…you're…you're going to tell me a story about your past?" she gasped, "Natalya…I…I don't know what to say…I never thought you'd trust me so much as to tell me such sensitive information!"

"You're the only one I trust enough to hear this story." Natalya said softly, reaching out a hand to stroke Lilac's tendrils. Lilac allowed her mauve coloured hands to touch her tendrils. She trusted the woman enough to allow her such a privilege. Natalya ran her hands gently down the girl's trademark twin tendrils.

"They really are like ropes…" she murmured humourlessly.

"I know, Milla said the same thing." Lilac chuckled, "I've gotta say, you're surprisingly gentle."

"Even strong people like me have their limits." Natalya said with a smile, "OK, it is time I told you my story Lilac…"

Still stroking her tendrils, Natalya breathed in as Lilac waited for her to start. Then she spoke.

"My life hasn't been a very happy one. My innocence was cruelly snatched away from me when I was just a child. I was born to two very wealthy parents in Shuigang."

"You lived in Shuigang as a kid?" asked Lilac, "Wonder what Dail would think to that…"

"Yes…" Natalya murmured, "Anyway, my parents were horrible people. My mother didn't care much about me and often had a habit of "forgetting" to feed me when I was hungry. I believed her at first but when I reached the age of five, I started questioning my mother's parenting. It seemed as if she was blatantly forgetting to fed me and only ever doing it whenever I told her I was hungry. But one time when I was hungry, I told her so and she didn't even notice me. I told her again and she just snapped at me. "You're a growing woman! Feed yourself you lazy brute!" That was what she had said to me…"

"Oh that's horrible!" Lilac cried.

"I'm only scraping the tip of the iceberg so far…" the older dragon muttered, "My mother really didn't care about me. It was as if she expected me to raise myself. I even once heard her say "Why are children so lazy and stupid? Why can't the little monsters look after themselves?" Little monster…those two words tore my heart in two. I was so heartbroken that she thought of me, a child, like this that I decided to run away from home. I abandoned her and my father and stayed with my grandparents. They were wonderful people and they took good care of me. But sadly, my happiness wasn't to last for mother and father stormed into their house and demanded that they hand me back. They refused since I was being abused by them. You know about my wretched mother but my father…he was worse than her. He beat me up whenever he was in a bad mood. He even once tied me up and locked me in the basement just for pleading for him to stop hurting me."

"No! You're not serious!" Lilac shrieked, "Nobody in the world can possibly be THAT cruel!"

"I'm sorry my child but that's how it was…" Natalya sighed, "My father was that cruel. He even used the same "Little monster" insult on me that my mother did. Anyway, my grandparents wouldn't let them take me back. So my father beat them up…so badly that they were hospitalized. They took me back and because I was a pathetic little kid back then, I couldn't do anything about it. I was abused and humiliated by them for years until the day I reached the age of sixteen years old…your current age now."

"What happened? How did you escape your beastly parents?" the teen-dragon asked.

"I didn't just escape them…I rid myself of them." Natalya replied, "You see, my father came home in a bad mood once again. He always seemed to be in a bad mood no matter what. He of course, came after me. I was frightened, I didn't want to be beaten up again. But I saw he had a dagger in his hand. He wanted to do more than beat me up…he wanted to wound me just to release his anger. I fought back, trying to prevent him from hurting me. And then the accident happened. I tripped my father up and…he landed on his dagger. I accidentally killed him. Horrified with what I'd done, I ran from the house before mother could ever find out that I had killed my father. I was disgusted with myself. I had murdered somebody…and then suddenly, mother found me and announced I was going to prison for killing father. Something snapped in me that day. I shouted at her, declaring he deserved it for being so horrible to me for sixteen years. Mother was so enraged that she tried to kill me! I had no choice…I had to kill her. I snapped her neck and I watched with glee as her dead body collapsed onto the ground. When her neck broke, I felt as if I had just snapped a branch away from my tree of life. I felt…free. Free from their tyranny. I don't regret killing them, even to this day. They deserved to die, both of them. I hated my parents and killing them is the one thing that I will always be proud I did."

Lilac stared at Natalya, unable to believe what she had heard. Maybe this was why she had been so dark and evil before. Her traumatic childhood had twisted her into a demon, a demon that she had released at last thankfully.

"I'm…I'm so sorry to hear this…" Lilac said, her eyes full of tears, "You didn't deserve such a terrible childhood! I'm so sorry you had such bad parents…"

"It is not your fault Sash Lilac." Natalya said gently, "I can't just pick who my parents are sadly. If I could, I would have picked parents like yours…"

"Parents like mine?" gasped Lilac, wiping away her tears.

"Now it is time you learnt something you are about to disbelieve…" Natalya continued, "I knew your mother Lilac. Dawn the Dragon Woman. She was absolutely wonderful. She was the most wonderful dragon I had ever met outside of my family. She was kind, loving and above all, VERY understanding."

Lilac was stunned. She could hardly believe her ears. Her life suddenly felt different to the one she thought she knew.

"You…knew…my mom?!" Lilac gasped.

"I didn't just know her…I befriended her." the mauve dragon said, "She found me when I was wondering alone in Jade Creek one day. I was lost and alone with nobody to look after me since I had no parents. Sympathizing with me, Dawn came up to me and offered me a place at her house. She INVITED me to stay with her! I was so touched that I cried at her generosity. Dawn and I became fast friends and if I'm to be honest…I grew to love her. I loved her like she was my own sister. She was very kind to me, she sympathized with me when I told of my evil parents and how I was forced to kill them when they tried to harm or kill me and she made me feel very comfortable in her house. I grew close to her. I wanted to spend my life with her. And then she ended up marrying your father. She met a really handsome man named Stephen and she invited me to the wedding. I attended, thrilled to be there for my friend. How beautiful she looked in that wedding dress…and Stephen looked very handsome in his groom outfit. Oh yes…your parents were a beautiful couple that day."

"Wow…you not only knew mom, you knew my dad too?!" Lilac gasped. She could hardly believe what she was hearing and she had to trust herself to believe Natalya's story.

"Oh yes. He was a wonderful man and he treated your mother like a princess." Natalya said, "It filled my heart with joy to see him treating Dawn so well. I grew to trust him and I was happy whenever he and Dawn were together. And then came the day Dawn gave birth to you. I knew she was pregnant for a while and my eyes streamed with tears when I heard you'd been born. I saw you as a baby Lilac…you were so adorable. My heart just melted at the sight of you. I was so honoured when Dawn let me hold you. I asked if I could hold you and I cradled you in my arms while you slept. That was…the HAPPIEST day of my life…"

She paused and watched Lilac's jaw drop in amazement. She waited until Lilac closed it again, wondering what she was going to say. The teen looked speechless to hear this.

"I…I can't…it's unbelievable! Just unbelievable!" shrieked Lilac, "You not only knew my parents but you was invited to their wedding AND you got to hold me when I was a baby?! Please…please tell me you're not making this up!"

"Lilac my child, why on Avalice would I make this up?" gasped Natalya, hurt to hear Lilac daring to suggest such a thing, "I'm…I'm shocked you think this…"

"Oh my gosh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Lilac cried out hastily, "Please excuse me, I was being thoughtless! I'm sorry…"

"I forgive you." said Natalya softly, stroking Lilac's tendrils again.

"Still…to think that you actually held me…and cradled me…and you say it was the happiest moment of your life…" Lilac murmured, "I now know why you consider me so special. It's not just because I'm a dragon…it's because I was the daughter of Dawn the Dragon Woman, your best friend. But…but why did mom never tell me about you?"

"Because of what happened after your birth…" sighed Natalya, "You see, I ended up falling in love with somebody. He was a very handsome dragon and had a rather aristocratic style to him. I was infatuated by this man and I wanted to know more about him. I found out that he was part of a cult of dragons that thought themselves superior to other races and wanted nothing more than for Avalice to be ruled by dragons. For some reason…I found myself being intrigued by this idea. I did actually think dragons were superior, even in childhood, and it sounded like my kind of cult. When Dawn heard about it though…she was devastated. I wanted her to join me but she wouldn't hear of it. She told me that our friendship was over and I was to stay away from you. My heart tore in half that day…I was surprised it hadn't stopped beating when Dawn left me. I felt guilty for betraying her but my lover insisted to me that I could live without her. I was so much in love with him that I ended up being seduced and thus, I abandoned Dawn and joined him. It's something I regret ever so much…"

"Oh man…I'm sorry Natalya…" Lilac whispered, "So sorry that your friendship with mom went so sour…"

"It was all my fault for letting that vile man seduce me…" Natalya growled, "And now came the worst day of my life. When you was only ten years old…Dawn and Stephen were murdered."

"You know about that too?!" gasped Lilac, "Oh no…that's horrible! You actually witnessed my parents' deaths too?!"

"No, I didn't. I found out about it when my lover met up with me after their deaths. He showed me their tendrils, still dripping with blood no less!" Natalya cringed as the horrible image came back to her head, "My lover…had coldly and cruelly murdered my best friend and her husband!"

"But…but I saw them die!" Lilac spluttered, amazed to hear this, "So…so your lover…your love…was my uncle Memphis!"

"Yes, yes he was…" Natalya growled, "Memphis was a vile and wicked man, slaughtering your parents like that! Stephen was his own brother for heaven's sake and he murdered him! And it seems that you witnessed their murder too, making it even worse!"

"Yes, I saw him murder them!" Lilac shrieked, "I was tucked up in bed one night and I suddenly felt thirsty so I went down to get a drink of water. I came into the kitchen…and watched as Memphis stabbed my mom to death! My dad came in to save her but he was too late. She was dead before she even hit the floor…and then Memphis killed dad! I was so frightened that I ran outta the house, thinking he was going to kill me too! I…I never saw him again after that…"

"Good…it means he'll never ever kill you…" the red-eyed dragon said grimly, wiping a tear from her eye, "Anyway. Memphis killed Dawn and Stephen because they refused to embrace his vision of a perfect world. I was so disgusted with him for murdering the two that I dumped him and left the cult. And then…the terrible thing that changed me into the woman you knew me as happened…I snapped. I snapped like a twig. Dawn's death truly broke me like a shattered vase. I went insane with grief…and then I began to get a very grey view on the world around me. All I saw was a world of murder and misery. It didn't help how Avalice's kingdoms had a peace so fragile that it was bound to shatter the moment you raised a finger to somebody. I decided that I, a dragon, would fix the world and make it a better place. And thus…I became a crime boss and the Red Scarves were born. I formulated the group a month after Dawn's death and I grew to embrace the life of a criminal. I enjoyed myself. My life was good…and then you and Carol Tea joined the group…"

"And the rest is history…" Lilac finished, "I remember when we first met. I bowed down to you, swearing that I would serve the scarves faithfully. I always wondered why you seemed awfully pleased to have me in the group at the time…and now I know."

Natalya nodded.

"And that, Sash Lilac, is my story." Natalya said softly, "Now you know what made me become such a vile and wicked woman. But after Brevon snapped me out of my delusions, I can tell you now…I regret ever becoming a crime boss. I regret ever betraying Dawn…and I regret ever letting Memphis ruin my life. He was the straw that broke the camel's back for me…and I'm so, so sorry that I ever, EVER became a vile and wicked woman because of him…please…I hope you can forgive me…"

Natalya then did something that Lilac had never seen her do before. She put her head into her hands and cried. Her tears soaked her palms and her shoulders heaved up and down as she wept. It was the saddest Lilac had ever seen Natalya be in all her life. She felt more sorry for her old enemy than ever before. Her mother had kept her sane…and losing her had caused her to drop into the deep end. Nobody should ever have that happen to them, especially somebody with a traumatic childhood like Natalya. The dragon girl was so saddened by Natalya's story that she began to shed tears of her own. She was ashamed of herself for ever hating Natalya. Now she knew her story, she no longer had a reason to hate her or be weary of her. Lilac then did something surprising to herself and Natalya. She hugged the weeping woman and patted her back affectionately.

"Had I known how you became such a horrible villainess…I wouldn't have been so callous towards you…" Lilac murmured, "But just know Natalya that you're no longer my enemy…and I forgive you. For everything. You didn't become evil because you were born that way…and that deserves forgiveness in my eyes. You regret everything you did, and that is why I forgive you."

Natalya lifted her head out of her hands and she smiled affectionately at Lilac. She wiped her eyes dry and hugged Lilac in return.

"Thank you so much dear…you have no idea how much this means to me, the daughter of my late best friend forgiving me…it's like Dawn herself has risen from the grave to forgive me…thank you." she whispered.

"You deserve it. Thank you for sharing your story Natalya." said Lilac, "It was nice to hear you being so honest and to hear about my parents again."

"You're welcome." said Natalya brightly, "Also, before you leave Lilac…I have something else to tell you."

Lilac listened, ready to hear what Natalya had to say. The dragon spoke.

"General Gong suggested to me earlier that I could redeem myself by finding a new purpose." she explained, "And I have an idea on what my new purpose will be. To honour Dawn's memory Lilac, I want to be back in your life…as your adopted mother. Sash Lilac…I want…to adopt you."

The dragon put a hand over her mouth in shock.

"You want to adopt me?!" Lilac squealed in surprise.

"Yes. Yes I do." Natalya said kindly, "I love you Lilac…I really do. You're like a daughter to me and I want to make up for betraying Dawn by being the mother you lost all those years ago. Please Lilac…let me adopt you…please don't reject me. If you reject me…I have nothing to live for anymore. I want to be your adopted mother as my new purpose in life to make up for my old one. Please…say yes."

Lilac thought for a moment. On the one hand, it seemed weird that the dragon who had once tried to kill her now wanted to parent her. On the other hand, it would be nice to have a mother again. And since Natalya was no longer deserving of her scorn, she could grow to love Natalya as a mother and it would definitely honour Dawn's memory. Lilac nodded, and then spoke.

"I…I need some time to think about this. I'm sorry Natalya…please give me some time. It's just so shocking that I need to let it settle in." said Lilac, "But I will promise you this, if I say no, I WON'T exclude you from my life. You can still be in it even if you adopt me or not."

"I understand and accept that promise." said Natalya, "Thank you so much for your kindness Lilac. I can't thank you enough for coming to hear my story and for hearing my proposal."

"You're very, very welcome Natalya." said Lilac softly, "I have to go now. Thanks for the invite and I hope to see you again soon."

"Goodbye my special little Lilac." said Natalya, "And please, tell your friends my story so they can understand too."

Lilac nodded, promising to do just that. She then hugged Natalya goodbye and she got up from the bed and walked over to the cell door.

"Please can you let me out now?" Lilac asked politely.

Gong, who had heard the entire conversation between Lilac and Natalya, came into view and he opened the cell door. Lilac left and Natalya watched as the cell door closed, preventing Lilac from coming back into see her. The two dragons waved goodbye and then Gong escorted Lilac out of the dungeon. The panda's face was a mask of disbelief.

"I've gotta say dragon girl, I was NOT expecting this!" Gong exclaimed, "Natalya explaining her whole life story to you…I couldn't believe what I was hearing!"

"I couldn't either but it's all true. Natalya displayed no signs of deception in the conversation." Lilac said, "She was telling me the truth the whole time."

"I believed her when you said that you saw your parents' deaths and that Natalya's old boyfriend was your uncle Memphis!" Gong agreed, "There was no way she could have faked that given you was there when your parents died and that she also knew about your parents' deaths!"

"Indeed." the dragon replied, "I felt so sad when I heard about Natalya's parents though…not even she deserved that kind of childhood…"

"I thought I was gonna cry myself." the panda said solemnly, "Poor woman…"

"I know. And now to redeem herself, she wants to adopt me." Lilac murmured, "I'd be happy to be Natalya's friend but to be her daughter! It's…it's a big step between us! Should I accept her adoption proposal?"

"Do what you think is right. Though I think you should accept." Gong said sadly, "Natalya's at wit's end, I think she'd be happier if you accepted."

"I'll sleep on it tonight and come back tomorrow night with my answer." Lilac promised, "Tell her that please."

"Sure thing. Have a goodnight Lilac." Gong said, saluting her.

"And to you general." the Avalician teen-dragon saluted back.

With nothing more to say or stay for, Lilac turned around and left Shang Tu Palace behind. She headed off for home, noticing that night had come and the moon and stars were out. It was a beautiful night and Lilac was happy to be returning home with such a beautiful night sky above. The dragon left Shang Tu and began to walk home to her treehouse. What a night this had been, learning the truth about Natalya and hearing that she wanted to adopt her! She couldn't wait to tell everybody when she got home. They'd be so speechless to hear what she had heard. Lilac looked back at Shang Tu briefly and thought of Natalya tucking herself in for the night. Hopefully she would soon be released. She then turned her head back around and walked off home, eager to share what she had heard tonight with her friends…


	6. Chapter 6: Pranks and Plans

_Chapter 6: Pranks and Plans_

Lilac returned home to her treehouse with her head in a spin. Her mind was still reeling from her meeting with Natalya in the Shang Tu Dungeons and as she climbed up the rope ladder to reach her front door, she could still hardly believe what she had heard from her former enemy. It was quarter to nine now and Lilac knew it was getting close to bedtime. She had arrived home at a good time. She'd be able to see her friends before Milla had to be tucked in for the night. Milla went to bed earlier than Lilac, Carol, Miguel and Lela did since she was only a child and the dragon girl remembered how it was her turn to tuck Milla in bed for tonight. She was already looking forward to it since the hound looked very cute when sleeping in her bed. She also knew that Milla loved to have a lullaby as she was tucked in and Lilac was looking forward to that too.

As Lilac reached the door, she paused for a moment to let her thoughts settle. Her head continued to turn over the conversation with Natalya in the dungeons. She couldn't stop thinking about what she had just heard. Everything she thought she knew about Natalya turned out to be merely a mask that she had worn after a harsh and tragic past. Natalya was not the vile and wicked woman she thought she had known. She was instead a victim of child abuse and a lot of tragedy from her grandparents being brutally beaten by her beastly parents to losing her friendship with Dawn and finally, the deaths of Dawn and Stephen. She could hardly blame the poor woman for going off the deep end. Lilac supposed she herself would have lost her mind had she gone through all of this herself. It was true she had lost her parents and was a victim of tragedy like Natalya was but it was different in her case. Lilac had climbed out of the ashes of her tragedy by befriending Carol and then going on to meet many new friends as time went on. Natalya hadn't been so lucky. Nobody had helped her climb out of her tragedy and thus, the dragon had gotten worse and worse until finally, she had snapped. Also Lilac's own tragedy was worse in Natalya's point of view. She had not just lost the mother of Lilac...she had lost the one person who had shown her kindness and love in her darkest hours and also the one who had, in a way, saved her life. Dawn had taken Natalya in when nobody else would. It was because of her that the mauve-scaled dragon was even alive now. Dawn was Natalya's heroine, and her wicked uncle Memphis had taken her away with a few stabs of a dagger. It still made Lilac sick to even think about that day but upon hearing Natalya's story, the memory somehow seemed even worse as in a way, it was all Memphis's fault that Natalya had turned evil, tried to take over Avalice and even tried to kill her and her friends and even cause her reputation to be ruined when she and Brevon teamed up to get revenge on her two weeks ago. Lilac now hated her uncle more than ever and hoped that the reason she hadn't seen him again after 6 years was because he was dead or arrested. He deserved it for ruining Natalya's life and causing her to try and ruin her own.

Lilac also thought on how Natalya had revealed she had been romantically involved with Memphis. That now made her parent's deaths even more tragic. Not only had they been murdered, they had been murdered by Natalya's own boyfriend! Lilac could feel her former enemy's pain for she felt nothing but horror, betrayal and sadness when her own uncle had murdered her parents. But to hear that Memphis had been Natalya's boyfriend! She could imagine Natalya's horror when the evil dragon had walked up to her and shown her the severed tendrils of his own brother and his sister-in-law. She tried to imagine the shock and horror in the woman's face when she saw her own boyfriend had murdered her best friend and her best friend's husband. She must have been feeling worried for Lilac, wondering how the poor girl was going to get on in the world without parents. Natalya had held Lilac as a baby. She must have been just as horrified to think about her without parents as she was when she saw her best friend was dead. Had Natalya even worried about Memphis possibly killing Lilac too? The dragon girl thought it was possible. Lilac could now see why Natalya had been so happy to accept her into the Red Scarves on the day they had first met. She wasn't just getting a new recruit, she was getting the daughter of her best friend, the tiny baby dragon she had once held, as a member of her gang. What a proud day this must have been for her when she had stepped into her throne room and pledged her allegiance to her. Lilac had only been twelve at the time she had joined the Red Scarves, two years after losing her parents. Natalya must have been happy to see her best friend's daughter standing before her, no longer a baby and all grown up, that day.

But the one thing that had got her head spinning more than anything else had been the fact that Natalya, the woman who had befriended her mother, attended her wedding, held Lilac as a baby, had become a criminal due to a harsh and tragic past and has tried to kill her...wanted to adopt her! Lilac still couldn't get those words out of her head. Natalya wanted to adopt her! What must it feel like to allow your old enemy to suddenly become your new mother? The teen-Avalician tried to imagine it. Natalya, living with her in her treehouse and parenting her like Dawn before her would have. She had become used to living on her own with just her friends as company. But she was used to living with Milla's parents so it wouldn't be that bad to have Natalya living with her too. If Milla's parents could stay with her then so could Natalya. But should she accept Natalya's offer and become her adopted daughter? Should she let Natalya re-start her life again as her foster mother? Surely it wouldn't be a bad thing if she said yes. It would honour her mother and make Natalya very happy to be part of Lilac's life again, but this time without the attempted murders and kingdom take-overs. But Lilac wasn't sure. It seemed a bit of a stretch to just let somebody she had known as a vile and wicked villainess to adopt her and become her new mother after two weeks of her turning over a new leaf. But on the other hand, Natalya hadn't chosen to be evil and she had befriended her parents. It would make sense for her to say yes. It wasn't like she was letting a criminal adopt her now she knew the truth about her late mother's former best friend. It would be like letting an old friend adopt her. A friend she had only seen once as a baby and sadly lost due to the actions of her horrible uncle Memphis. Lilac pushed the thoughts out of her mind. She would sleep on it and then as promised, come back to Shang Tu tomorrow night to tell Natalya what her decision was.

"I'm so sorry you had such a rough life Natalya..." Lilac murmured to herself, "But I promise you...in the names of my mom and dad, I will help your life improve. I promise..."

She then opened the door and let herself into the house. She was immediately greeted by an eager Carol the Wildcat and an equally as eager Milla the Hound. The two girls ran up to her and hugged her, pleased to see she was home again. Miguel and Lela were also pleased to see Lilac back. Their daughter had been hoping to see Lilac before bed as it was the dragon's turn to put her to bed and sing her a lullaby tonight. Lilac hugged her friends back gleefully.

"Hey guys!" she said cheerfully.

"Lilac! So glad you're home buddy!" Carol exclaimed.

"We were wondering when you would be home!" Milla squealed, "It's dark outside! We thought you was going to be home very late!"

"It feels very late." the dragon chuckled.

"It's only quarter to nine. We've got fifteen minutes before it's Milla's bedtime." said Lela softly.

"Which means you've got time to tell us ALL about your visit to Natalya." added Miguel.

"So, how'd it go Lilac?" asked Carol, "What did the four-horned menace want you for?"

"Did you have a long talk?" asked Milla, "What did you talk about?"

"To say it was a long talk is a understatement." Lilac said half-heartedly, "Natalya told me...quite a lot about herself."

The cat and dog were immediately interested in what they were going to hear now.

"Natalya told you...about herself?" Carol asked quizzically, "She never talks about herself...she really must have changed."

"What did she tell you?" asked Milla.

Lilac spent the next ten minutes reciting what she had been told in The Magister's dungeon from Natalya's horrible childhood to the befriending of her own mother to the deaths of her parents. She told her friends everything Natalya had told her and as she finished, she stared at their gobsmacked faces. Carol looked as if she was seeing Natalya for the first time, Milla was in tears and Miguel and Lela weren't sure how to react to what they had heard. They thought they knew Natalya. They had been wrong the whole time.

"Please don't think I'm making any of this up." Lilac said hastily, "Natalya told me it all, from her very heart no less. And everything she said was the absolute truth. She was genuinely sad when having to tell me all of this and when listening to her, the emotions in her voice were real and her body language and facial features told me that she was telling the absolute truth. No lies whatsoever. And as I said, she fell in love with the man who killed my parents, before he did the deed of course. That proves she's telling the truth. If she knows who killed my parents then she can't possibly be making any of it up. As sad as her past is, it's all true."

Carol nodded, agreeing with Lilac. If Natalya knew who killed her parents then the story had to be true. Lilac had explained how Natalya had not mentioned Memphis's name when she said she had fallen in love with somebody and Lilac herself had worked out upon hearing that Natalya's boyfriend had shown her Dawn and Stephen's severed tendrils that the boyfriend was her uncle Memphis. She had been gobsmacked to hear Natalya's past but she found herself beliving that it was true as Lilac herself had done. Milla was still in tears from the whole story.

"Poor Natalya!" she wailed, "What a horrible life she's had! It's so sad to hear that she's had horrible parents and her boyfriend killed her best friend!"

"I felt the same way Milla." Lilac said, "Because of this, I can officially declare Natalya is no longer our enemy. She didn't choose to become evil, she deserves a second-chance in my eyes."

"As weird as it is for me to say this...but I agree." said Carol, "Your uncle Memphis made Natalya evil! Natalya doesn't deserve our scorn, HE does! Killing your mom and dad and showing their hair to her...that's just sick! No wonder Natalya ended up all crazy and bitchy! Your mom kept her sane and he took her away from her! That's...quite heartbreaking really..."

"I'm glad you agree Carol." said Lilac, surprised to hear that the wildcat was now sympathizing with Natalya given her hatred of her.

"Anytime." the wildcat said, "I say it's heartbreaking though in the sense that I've lost people I once loved too so I know what it's like to lose people close to you. I lost my mom and dad a long time ago, which is why I joined the Red Scarves, and my grandpa, the only one who could look after me after my parents had gone, was exiled because he practiced "witchcraft" and people thought he was going to curse them all or something. My grandpa only practiced nice spells though, they had no right to exile him because of what he did..." she muttered bitterly.

Lilac was surprised to hear this. Carol had never talked about her family before. This had been the first time she had heard about her family ever since they had become friends. Lilac had often suspected that Carol had joined the Red Scarves for similar reasons to her.

"I'm...I'm sorry to hear this." the dragon said softly.

"Don't sweat it." the wildcat said casually, "I do miss my folk and I REALLY miss my grandpa. We were really close, me and him, but I also learnt from him that you can't just keep dwelling in the past. My parents won't come back and he's in exile. Best thing to do is move on and keep the memories of your loved ones to yourself. It's...why I never talked about them to you or Milla or anybody."

"Same with me when I didn't mention my parents." Lilac nodded understandingly, "Anyway, I'm glad you all believe Natalya's story and also offered your sympathies to her. She deserves this after all the grief she's unfortunately had to endure..."

"I agree." said Lela, nodding slowly, "Nobody, not even Natalya, should EVER have to go through horrible things like that. She did nothing wrong back then, she didn't deserve to have such a hard life..."

"I regret ever disliking her now." Miguel murmured, "If I see her again, the first thing I'm going to do is apologize to her."

"She'll really appreciate that." said Lilac brightly.

"So Little Miss Heropants, is that why Natalya called you over? Just to tell you her life story?" asked Carol.

"No, she wanted to see me for another reason." explained Lilac, "You see...Gong gave her the idea that she could have a new purpose in life to make up for wasting her life on something she could never achieve."

She paused and waited for her friends to take this in as if building up suspense. She continued.

"So Natalya got an idea and...this may shock you but please don't be disgusted...she wants to adopt me!"

Carol's jaw dropped in astonishment. Milla looked as if she wasn't sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing whereas her parents looked startled. Nobody spoke for a few moments and Lilac began to worry if the news had soured their view on Natalya again.

"I knew you'd be shocked but PLEASE don't be disgusted!" she protested.

"Natalya...wants to...adopt you?!" squeaked Carol.

"Why?" asked Milla.

"Because she loves me." Lilac answered, "You know how she showed affection to me in The Christmas Raid? It's no pretence, she legitimately loves me. After all, she got to hold me when I was a baby and I AM her best friend's daughter so she has every reason to like me. And she thinks life as my adopted mother is the perfect way to start all over again."

"Well...um...I don't know...what to say about that." Carol mused, "It'll be kinda weird to have Natalya living with us I'll admit but since she's not a bad guy anymore, I GUESS having her around isn't a bad thing. It'll be funny if you have to start calling her "Mom" now though Lilac." she snickered.

"I doubt I'll EVER get used to calling her mom!" the dragon chuckled, "But in all seriousness...I'm not sure if I should accept her offer. Should I let her adopt me? I mean, it'll be awesome to have a mom again but...I dunno...it might seem too weird having my former enemy mothering me as if I'm her daughter...I just..."

She sighed loudly in exasperation.

"I don't know...should I accept her offer?"

"Given all the tragedy and heartbreak that poor Natalya has suffered lately, it would be nice if you said yes Lilac." said Lela gently, "But it's your decision to make. If you want Natalya to adopt you then you let her. Just take her feelings into consideration before you make your decision. We don't want to upset her. It...might make her go south again..."

"I know. It's why I said to Natalya that IF I say no, I won't exclude her from my life." the dragon explained, "I said she could be my friend if I said no. Natalya was OK with that. She's just happy that no matter what I say, she can still be in my life. I want to make her happy like my mom did, and if being part of her life makes her happy then I'll happily do so."

"Well said." Miguel applauded, "You're such a big-hearted and kind young lady Lilac. It's why I'm glad our little Milla met you when she was on her own for so long."

Lilac smiled modestly.

"Th-thank you Mr. Basset." she said, "That's very nice of you to say. I'm equally as glad I met Milla last year since she's such a good friend. Speaking of Milla, I believe it's your bedtime." she added, noticing that the clock just above the sofa now said "9'o clock".

Milla yawned as if only just realizing that fact.

"It is indeed." she said tiredly, "Goodnight mommy and daddy. Goodnight Carol."

"See ya in the morning Milla." said Carol brightly.

"Sweet dreams my darling." said Miguel and Lela in unison.

The dog smiled as Lilac led her upstairs and up to the bedrooms on the upper floor. The dragon waited a few minutes as Milla changed out of her clothes and into her pyjamas and then used the bathroom to do her business and then clean her teeth. The little puppy's pyjamas were brown in colour and consisted of a t-shirt and shorts. It amazed Lilac that despite only being ten years old, Milla seemed to have such great pleasure in showing off her legs. Her normal outfit exposed her legs and she seemed to go to bed in shorts. The dragon didn't mention anything about it. She herself had been wearing shorts since she was nine and rarely ever covered her legs up. After a few minutes had gone by, Milla emerged from the bathroom and Lilac took her into the room that she, Carol and Milla slept in. It was the same as the original bedroom had been before with the only new thing being an actual bed for Milla to sleep in. The reptillian heroine thought it would be better if Milla slept in a bed rather than on the floor in a sleeping bag all the time. The bunk bed for her and Carol that sat nearby had been donated from Shuigang and Shang Tu had supplied the third bed for Milla when the treehouse had been rebuilt. The beds were very comfortable and the three girls never had a bad night in them. Lilac briefly wondered what it would be like if she accepted Natalya's offer. Would they need an extra bed? Where would she sleep? With Miguel and Lela likely but the dragon didn't bother worrying about that now. She still hadn't made up her mind on the subject. Milla lay down in her bed, snuggling under the duvet and burying the back of her head into the pillow. Lilac tucked her in and knelt down beside her. How sweet the young canine looked all snug and warm in her bed. It made Lilac think back to when her parents used to tuck her into her bed. Those days seemed very far away now. Lilac smiled softly at Milla.

"All comfy?" she asked.

"Yes." said Milla, "You're good at tucking me up Lilac."

"What can I say? I picked it up from mom and dad." Lilac said modestly, "They knew how to make me comfortable at bedtime too."

"Do you miss your mommy and daddy?" the puppy asked innocently.

Lilac stiffened upon hearing the question but she answered.

"Very much...I loved them and it still makes my heart ache to think about when my horrible uncle killed them..." the dragon said sadly.

"Why did your uncle kill them?"

"Natalya said it was because they didn't agree with his way of life. I do remember dad arguing with him the day before he was murdered so I believe Natalya."

"What was your uncle like?"

"Before the murders? He wasn't that pleasant." Lilac muttered, "He was highly arrogant and didn't really think much of me. I think he actually hated me though he never showed it...much. He'd often scowl at me and treat me like a nuisance but he never hurt me or anything. I hardly ever saw him anyway, he was mostly away in that crazy dragon cult that mom and dad scowled at. They didn't like how Memphis was associating himself with fanatics so they considered it good that he was hardly around me. I feel sorry for Natalya for being part of it with him..."

"Where is he now?" asked Milla.

"Hopefully in jail where he belongs..." snarled Lilac, "I never saw him again after he killed my parents so for all I know, he's either dead or arrested. Hopefully dead...he deserves to be dead..."

"It's not nice to say things like that." the dog said sternly.

"I know...but...he killed my parents just for not agreeing with him! Nobody deserve to live after a crime like that!" the dragon exclaimed, "But I suppose it is kinda mean of me to hope my own flesh and blood is dead...I'll be happy if he's in prison though."

"Me too." agreed Milla, "He sounds like a nasty, nasty man."

"I hope you NEVER meet Memphis...same goes to your parents and Carol..." Lilac muttered, "But enough about that monster. It's time you went to sleep Milla."

"Please can I ask one more question? It's not about your uncle Mem...something-is this time." the dog asked.

"Alright." said Lilac sweetly.

"Will you say yes and let Natalya adopt you?"

Lilac thought for a moment, her mind still in a whirl over the thought of being adopted.

"I'm still wondering..." Lilac admitted, "But I promise Milla, whatever my decision is, Natalya can still be our friend and she can start anew as a new friend of ours."

"I'd like to be friends with Natalya. Much nicer than being enemies with her." the dog said sweetly.

"Can't argue with that." the dragon said, winking, "Now Milla, close your eyes and I'll sing you a lullaby as promised."

"Goodnight Lilac!" Milla piped, turning her head to one side and then closing her eyes.

"And to you." Lilac replied, straightening the duvet slightly.

As Milla settled down in her bed, Lilac stayed kneeling beside her and she thought on what to sing to her canine friend to make her fall asleep. She knew a few lullabies from her late mother and thought that one of them would be suitable. She decided to go with her favourite lullaby, one that Dawn sung to her more than anything else. Smiling sweetly at Milla, Lilac began to sing.

_Clooooose your eeeeeeeyes, my sweet child_

_Sleep my child, so tender and miiiiiild_

_It's time you closed your sweet little eeeeeeyes_

_Time to sleep and dream the night awaaaaaaay_

_Sleep tightly my sweet little child_

_And when you wake up, you can enjoy a brand new daaaaaaaaaaaay_

_Goodnight my sweet little chiiiiiild_

_Goodnight...sleep tight...and don't let the bed bugs...biiiiiiiite..._

When Lilac sung, her voice sounded as if she had descended from heaven itself. She didn't often sing but when she did, she was very good at it. Lilac liked to sing on occasion and she wondered if she had picked up her singing voice from her mother. Dawn had a beautiful singing voice herself. Lilac looked down at Milla and noticed that the puppy was already snoring. Her singing voice had done it's job and Milla had obviously enjoyed the lullaby. She'd sing it to her again some other night. Smiling sweetly, Lilac stroked Milla's hair and whispered "Goodnight" to her before getting up and leaving the room. As she left the room, she allowed the question to return to her head again. Should she let Natalya adopt her? Or would it be better if she said no? Lilac was certain that whatever choice she made...it would be the right one...

* * *

Milla woke up the next morning, feeling very rested and very cheerful as usual. She had quite enjoyed the lullaby that Lilac had sung to her last night and hoped that next time Lilac put her to bed, she'd get to hear it again. She had been quite surprised to hear how beautiful Lilac sang. Her singing voice was as beautiful as her mother's was. It was the reason she had slept so well and was in such a good mood today. Milla climbed out of bed and and peeked out of the window. It was another beautiful sunny day outside. She could hardly wait to get outside and start playing with her best friends. That was her ideal way of enjoying the sun. But as the hound turned to wake up her friends, something she usually did as she was the first one awake most of the time, she saw that for once, they had gotten up before her. Their bunk bed was empty. Milla didn't mind. Sometimes she slept longer than they did, sometimes they slept longer. Nothing unusual at all. But then Milla spotted something that struck her as unusual. She saw a note pinned to the post of Lilac and Carol's bunk bed. She wandered over to the note and read it. It was from Carol. The dog recognized the cat's messy handwriting and bad spelling. It said:

**Meat me be hind the tree hous. Very Imporant Meela. Your frend Carol the** **WildCat.**

What was Carol up to? Why did she wantto see her for? It wasn't often that Carol hung out with Milla and just Milla alone. It was either Lilac and Milla together or just Lilac. The wildcat had to be up to something. So the inquisitive hound decided to see what her feline friend wanted. She quickly got dressed and left the bedroom. She went down into the kitchen and had her breakfast before going outside to meet Carol. Lilac, Miguel and Lela were staying inside to do some household chores, something that Milla was often pleased to be avoiding. Maybe Carol was doing the same? Hardly. She wouldn't want to see Milla and only Milla if she was avoiding doing chores. The dog walked out onto the porch and then climbed down the rope ladder, her bare paws touching down onto the grass. It was the reason why Milla never wore shoes. She liked the way the grass felt between her paw pads and toes. It was said she had a "strong connection to the Earth". The hound supposed she did in a way. Now down from the house, Milla paced around the tree until finally spotting Carol sitting by herself with a strange collection of objects. She had a rake and what looked to be a bucket full of treacle. What on Avalice was going on? Milla sat down beside Carol, the cat smiling as she saw her.

"Hey Milla ma girl! So glad you got my note!" the cat said gleefully.

"Why do you want to see me Carol?" asked Milla curiously.

"Well, I was really pissed off with the way Timothy treated Lilac yesterday so I've decided to make that old fart pay for his prejudice." Carol explained, "I got up extra early and got me a rake and some treacle so I can prank the asshole. And you're going to join me."

"Me?" the puppy asked in astonishment, "But...but...but mommy might be cross with me if I play pranks on an old man. She tells me it's nasty and rude to make fun of old people!"

"Well this old man insulted Lilac and kept trying to demonize her so we're making him pay for it!" Carol declared, "Don't worry Milla, we won't tell anybody what happened. Lilac and yer parents won't know about this."

The little dog looked a little uncertain. Sure it would be fun to get back at Timothy for bad-mouthing her draconian friend but she wasn't sure if it was a good idea to play pranks on an old man. But as Carol had said, what Lilac and her parents didn't know wouldn't hurt them. They would just prank Timothy and then leave. It would be good to make Timothy pay for his appalling behaviour towards Lilac.

"OK...I'll do it." said Milla, "It sounds pretty fun really."

"I knew you'd join me." Carol said gleefully, "Now listen, Timothy is here in Dragon Valley now. I saw him on the way home. He's not too far from here. Follow me!"

With that said, Carol handed Milla the bucket of treacle while she picked up the rake. The cat and dog then ran off with Carol in the lead and Milla following her, trying to carry the bucket of treacle without stumbling over as it was quite heavy. They headed into the forests of Dragon Valley, native territory to them thanks to their tree house habitat. It didn't take them long, roughly about six minutes, before they found where Timothy was. They dived behind a bush and Carol looked out to see that the old turtle was indeed, still there. He was sitting on a bench near a lake and gazing into it as if hoping it could tell his fortune. His cane sat next to him as if having a rest with him. His face looked as aged and shrivelled up as ever. His mouth in particular made him look as if he was sucking on something sour constantly. His wrinkly old eyes with the ridiculously large grey eyebrows and hidden behind his circular, oversized spectacles looked far more relaxed and content than they had been yesterday. It seemed strange to see Timothy in a moment of peace. He wouldn't be peaceful for long though. Carol was pleased to see he hadn't gone anywhere. Now to put her plan into action. It was time to make Timothy suffer for what he had said to her best friend. Carol put a finger to her lips and then sneaked out of the bush with Milla waiting for her.

"OK, first I'm going to make him step on this rake." Carol hissed, "Then I'm going to moon Timothy. When I moon him, you come out and take his stick away as he might try and hit me with it. Then you hit him with the stick and then I'll trick him into falling into the lake. Then when he comes out, you pour the treacle on him. Got it?"

"Got it." Milla whispered.

Carol beamed as she put the rake down on the grass a few metres away from Timothy and his bench. She had approached the old reptile from behind so he wouldn't see him. Then Carol yelled out loud, making Timothy jump about a foot in the air off of his bench as though he'd been stung by a giant scorpion.

"OY! WAKE UP!" Carol yelled.

Timothy landed on his own two feet as if he'd been doing a gymnastic act and he quickly grabbed his cane, expecting to find somebody trying to mug him or worse. He turned around and saw Carol, smiling cheekily at him. He didn't see the rake that Carol had put down ready for him. The turtle's eyes narrowed and he glared at the wildcat. He recognized her from yesterday, especially since she had sworn at him. He was not pleased to see her and he made no attempt to hide his scorn.

"What do YOU want you little brat?!" he growled, "Can't you see I'm trying to enjoy the peace and quiet around here?!"

"How can you when you talk as if you're on loudspeaker?" snickered Carol, "Honestly, that grating voice of yours is loud enough to wake up all of Avalice!"

"How dare you!" Timothy yelled, storming towards Carol crossly, "I'm not loud at all!"

"Oh yes you are! You're loud AND obnoxious you loud and obnoxious twerp!" Carol taunted, "You're so loud and so obnoxious that it's no wonder Shuigang turned on you! They must think you're really annoying!"

"Oooh that's it you young hoodlum, you're in for it now!" snarled Timothy, "I'm going to teach you a lesson you won't..."

He was rudely cut off as his foot stepped down on the blade of the rake and brought the stick swinging straight up into his face, whacking him smack on the nose and sending spasms of pain flooding through his face. He gripped his nose as if worried it was going to fall off and he yelled a loud, pained yell that echoed through the forest. Carol shrieked with laughter, clutching her sides as if they were about to split open and Timothy hopped about in pain, still clutching his nose. He then turned around and glared angrily at Carol. His aged eyes narrowed accusingly at her.

"If I was suspicious, I'd say you planned that!" he growled.

"You bet I did!" the wildcat admitted shamelessly, "With glasses that big, I'd have thought you'd have seen it before you stood on it though!"

"You're a wretched, horrible little child you are and I demand that you apologize for his despicable behaviour!" Timothy declared.

"Demand THIS wise-guy!" Carol retorted.

She then proceeded to turn around, bend over and then slip her shorts down, showing off her bottom and shaking it shamelessly at Timothy. Milla could barely help but giggle. Carol was very funny when she was in this kind of mood and watching her shamelessly shake her rear end at Timothy was getting her hysterical. But she quickly controlled herself for she remembered that Carol had told her to come out once she mooned Timothy. The hound flew up out of the bush with a flap of her ears as Timothy glared at Carol's rear end. He was outraged. How dare this insolent brat pull her shorts down and moon him?! Did parents really have no shame in how their children were raised?! He would teach this little brat a lesson! His face burning red with anger, Timothy raised his cane and aimed at Carol's bottom, the wildcat still shaking it at him tauntingly.

"Oooh you wretched child!" he growled, "I'm going to spank you so hard your ancestors will have sore bottoms!"

"Nyah, nyah, nee, nyah, nyah! You're. A. Looooser!" Carol jeered, still shaking her bum at the old turtle as if unaware he was about to hit her.

Timothy gritted his teeth and prepared to strike. He would swish his cane through the air and straight across Carol's backside. The teen-feline might cry about it and run away in tears. It would serve her jolly well right for daring to flash her bottom at him! But just as Timothy was about to smack Carol's bum, Milla sneaked up behind him and grabbed the cane. Timothy wasn't holding it too tightly so she ended up yanking it out of his grip very easily. The turtle swung his arm at Carol but because he had no cane in his hand, his arm swiped through the air just in front of Carol's rear end and he ended up spinning around in a crazy twister. He looked like an Avalician-sized spinning top, his entire body just a brown and green blur as he spun around. He yelled frantically as he whirled around like a mini-tornado. Carol turned around and pulled up her shorts in time to see Timothy's spin come to an end and then the turtle fell down onto his backside, his eyes spinning around in his sockets as the world seemed to continue turning around him. He was very dizzy.

"Why won't the world stop spinning?!" he wailed.

Carol snickered at the turtle's misfortune, pleased that what had just happened had turned out so hilariously. She hadn't expected Milla to just simply take the cane out of Timothy's hand like that but she didn't mind. That just made the whole thing funnier. Milla landed down beside Carol, still holding Timothy's cane and laughing with her.

"Good job Milla! That was hilarious!" Carol exclaimed.

"Thanks." said Milla brightly, "I can't believe that nasty man was going to smack you with his stick though! That's just beastly!"

"I knew he was gonna do that when I pulled my shorts down at him, that's why I told you to take it from him." the wildcat said with a wink, "I've seen enough old men to know that they LOVE hitting children who irritate them with their walking sticks. Timothy's no different."

"Do you want me to hit him now?" the hound asked, glancing down at the cane in her hands.

"Not too hard, we don't wanna kill the guy." Carol said, "Just hit him gently."

Milla understood and she toddled over to Timothy, who was beginning to get himself back under control. His eyes had stopped spinning and he felt a lot less dizzy now. But just as he stood up, Milla raised the cane above her head and proceeded to swing it down, not too hard, on Timothy's head. The hard, wooden walking stick thumped Timothy's head sharply and the turtle fell down onto his stomach. His head throbbed with pain and a small bump protruded from where he'd been hit. As he fell over, his glasses ended up falling off and as he lay there dazed and confused, Carol quickly swiped them. She had an idea on what to do next. The mischievous tomboy ran over to the lake and then called out to Timothy.

"Hey! Timmy-boy! You wanna smack me? I'm right here!" she hollered.

Timothy picked himself up, his head still throbbing like mad, and he shook himself off. He then suddenly realized that he was now unable to see. His vision was a blur of colours that failed to resemble anything that made sense to him and he flailed his arms around wildly.

"Hey! I can't see!" he shrieked, "Where are my glasses?! I need my glasses!"

"I've got them you old hag!" Carol taunted, "You want them? Come and get them!"

Timothy couldn't see where Carol was but luckily for him, his ears compensated for his lack of vision. His hearing was much better than his sight was. He looked in Carol's direction and he began hobbling towards Carol as if he was trying to run towards her but couldn't due to his legs being too weak to manage a simple run. Carol stepped aside as Timothy came towards her, shaking his fists.

"Oooooh when I get my hands on you, you little creep, I'm going to beat you black and blue!" he ranted, "Little brats like you deserve to be locked up forever! Harassing old men like this, this is bang out of order! I'm so going to make you pay for this you mischievous little..."

He then suddenly cried out as for some reason, the world seemed to tilt him forwards and send him tumbling over into something cold and wet. What on Avalice had happened? Timothy soon found out. He had completely missed Carol and instead had just tumbled over into the lake. The wildcat had moved out of his way just so he could fall in. Because Timothy has lost his glasses, he simply hadn't seen the lake. It was lucky for the old turtle that he was able to swim. Despite his age, he was no slouch when it came to swimming. He often did laps in whatever pond, lake or swimming pool he could find and was still very good no matter what he swam in. He pulled himself out of the water and stood up, water streaming down his body and onto the grass. His eyebrows had plastered themselves down against his head and his sash and hat were both drenched. Carol shrieked with laughter, unable to contain herself as she saw what her handiwork had just done to Timothy. It served him right for his prejudiced behavior against Lilac yesterday. Growling angrily, Timothy turned his head in Carol's direction and he walked up to her. This time, he hadn't missed. He stood before the laughing wildcat, water still dripping from his body, and his eyes narrowed towards Carol. The tomboy feline stopped laughing long enough to notice that Timothy was standing before her and she quickly reacted. She handed the turtle his glasses back and Timothy put them back onto his face. His eyes no longer saw coloured blurs and he could now see Carol very clearly with his glasses back on. The wildcat looked as if was very guilty over what had happened. Her ears lay against her head and her eyes went all big and wide as if she was a stray cat begging for food. Timothy didn't falter.

"You insolent, barbaric hooligan!" he ranted, "You caused me to fall into the lake! Do you realize how dangerous that could have been?! I couldn't see for heaven's sake! What if I fell into something a bit harder and more dangerous?! I could have been killed!"

"I'm very sorry sir." Carol said guiltily, putting on a very convincing performance, "I didn't think..."

"That's the problem with you horrible children! You don't think because you're too stupid to do so!" snapped Timothy, "Well little girl, if I ever see your parents around, I am so going to tell them what you've been doing and then you're be in trouble!"

"Please sir...I don't have parents..." mumbled Carol, looking as if she was about to cry.

"And why not?!"

"My dad was killed by a runaway truck when I was three. My mom...left me for reasons I don't know about...I was only nine when she left me..."

"That's even worse!" Timothy screamed, "You don't have anybody to look after you! Well mark my words young lady, I'll deal with you somehow! I'll have you put away in a place where kids with no parents like you belong! Oh yes...you'll be in juvenile hall when I'm done with you!"

"Yeah, sorry, I'm not interested in juvie." the feline snorted, "Besides, I have Lilac looking after me."

"Lilac?! That's it! She's responsible for this, I know she is!" Timothy ranted as if thinking he'd worked something out and knew why this was happening to him, "She must have sent you and that mangy mutt she hangs out with to spite me for how I acted towards her! Ooooooh when I get my hands on her she'll wish she'd never messed with me!"

"Lilac had nothing to do with it!" Carol retorted, "I did this under my own agenda! Lilac doesn't even know what I'm doing or the fact I'm even here now!"

"A likely story..." the turtle growled, "I knew dragons were bad and I have proof. That dragon friend of yours is sending you and that canine brat to harass and humiliate me just to get back at me for yesterday! Well two can play at this game! I..."

He got no further in his rant as Milla suddenly flew over him and tipped the bucket of treacle straight on top of his head. The sticky, black substance poured out of the bucket and splattered down on top of the turtle, covering him from head to toe. The old reptile yelped in surprise as he was covered in sticky treacle, wondering where it had come from. As the treacle stuck to him, Carol and Milla both exploded into fits of hysterical laughter. They thought Timothy looked very, very funny. The elderly turtle did not seem to agree with them for he just fumed with rage at the laughing children.

"This isn't over yet brats!" he roared, "I'll be back and I'll get even with you and your filthy dragon friend you see if I don't!"

"I sure hope you can wash all that treacle off first shell-brain!" Carol taunted.

Growling angrily, Timothy picked up his walking stick which Milla had left lying beside the bucket the treacle had been in and he walked, or rather..._squelched_ away. The annoying thing about being covered in sticky, gooey substances like treacle was the face things clung onto you and stayed there until you washed it away. Timothy's treacle covered feet snagged blades of grass as he walked away, a wonderful squelching noise emitting from every footstep he took. It was a splendidly funny scene and Carol and Milla could hardly contain themselves. They laughed ever so heartily as the treacle-covered old man walked away, squelching noisily as he did so. It was a very funny sight to them and they would never forget the sheer hilarity of the scene before them. As soon as Timothy left, the two Avalicians stopped laughing and Carol looked over at Milla.

"Was that funny or WHAT?!" she blustered.

"It was very, very funny!" Milla agreed, "I really enjoyed myself as we pranked that nasty old man!"

"He deserved everything we gave him!" Carol declared, "I only wish Lilac could have seen this. She'd be busting a gut over what we've done!"

"Maybe we should tell her?" asked Milla curiously.

"Eh, let's not." the wildcat decided, "Might be better if we don't anyway. If anybody asks you any questions at all, I took you for a bike ride in the plains outside the forest. Got it?"

"Got it!" the dog piped.

"Good. Let's go home and see what Little Miss Heropants and your folks are up to."

Carol and Milla picked themselves up and walked away, leaving the bucket and rake they had brought with them to the forest behind. As they left, Carol could still barely keep the smile off her face as she thought back to what she'd done. It had been a very funny experience and she could hardly keep the images of Timothy falling into a lake and getting doused in treacle out of her head. But little did she realize...is that her little joke had gone a bit further than she had intended...

* * *

Meanwhile, Timothy had returned home and had seen to washing off all the treacle he had been covered in. At first, he'd had a rather comical moment involving him trying to put his cane away only for it to stick to his hand as if it was glued there and he had used his foot to get the cane out of his hand...only for the cane to then stick to his foot. It had greatly irritated Timothy and he was now more determined than ever to do something about Lilac, Carol and Milla. He still believed that Lilac was responsible and he would make sure she suffered his wrath for his humiliation. An hour later, Timothy had finally managed wash himself clean and now he was clean, he slumped on the sofa and grumbled to himself. The turtle lived in a rather small house with no upstairs floor and a lot of outdated and antique furniture. He was old-fashioned in nature and didn't even attempt to disguise that fact. Nothing was remotely hi-tech in his house. He didn't even have a television. He preferred the simple life and wished the world around him could be more like him and not keep evolving with technology. He was still fuming about what Carol and Milla had done to him.

"Curse those horrible kids...how dare they make a fool out of me...and that brat-faced dragon is responsible! I know she is!" he yelled, "Well I hope she's feeling lucky because I think Shuigang might be VERRRRY interested to hear how her friends have been behaving! When I tell them what she's told her friends to do, they'll all turn on her! That'll serve her right!"

He was brought out of his angry ranting by a knock at his oak wood door. Sighing loudly, Timothy heaved his heavy bones out of his sofa and he toddled over to the door. He opened it and saw just the person he had been expecting. There was a man standing before him, dressed completely in a red robe and cape with yellow trimmings that shrouded his body. He had the hood up, his fearsome yellow eyes the only thing Timothy could see through the shadowy mask of his face. The man had his trademark energy-conductor cane with him agian. What did he look like under the hood? Timothy didn't know. He had never seen the man's face. The turtle's face fell at the sight of the robed man.

"Oh...it's you." he muttered.

"Don't talk to me like that Timothy." the man said sternly, his chilling voice sending shivers through the turtle's shell, "Remember, we're in this together so you treat me with respect...as I do to you."

"My apologies sir." Timothy said quickly, "Please come in and have a seat. I think I know why you're here."

The Robed Man walked straight into the house without waiting for the Avalician reptile to move. He strode into the house, his robe and cape billowing out behind him as if he owned the place and was simply returning home to put his feet up. The Robed Man sat down on the sofa and crossed his legs while Timothy sat down on a chair facing the sofa so he could look the mysterious man in the eyes. He still wondered what his face looked like and wished he would take his hood down for once. But the man seemed eager to shroud himself in mystery no matter where he went. He always wore the robe every time he and Timothy met. The turtle cleared his throat nervously.

"So um...are you here to talk about our progress in our plan?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"I am indeed." the Robed Man said grimly, "And I am NOT pleased with you Timothy. I hear that Shuigang now likes Lilac again and your attempts at sowing the seeds of hatred into them have failed."

"It's not my damn fault those infernal Red Scarves gave Lilac the perfect opportunity to redeem herself!" Timothy snapped, "It was very unfortunate for us that the king got captured by those criminals and thus, Lilac had a way to make up for the incident in Shang Mu with that bloody Dark Stone! Don't you dare pin this on me!"

"I will overlook your overbearing tone for the sake of your life as I cannot afford to let it go to waste right about now." the mysterious Avalician said coldly, "I will agree though. It is indeed most inconvenient that Spade ended up throwing a spanner into the works...but now he's been arrested and the Red Scarves work for me now. I've managed to coax them into joining my plan in exchange for rescuing their leader. So in a way...the Red Scarves have played into our hands most beautifully."

"I sure hope so." Timothy muttered, "It's bad enough how I have to PRETEND I hate the very species I worship! You've asked a lot from me to have me put up a pretence about hating dragons! I feel sick having to say bad things about those wonderful, wonderful creatures! This plan better be worthwhile...I don't like feeling like I'm bad-mouthing my favourite Avalicians for nothing. If all goes wrong, I might be tempted to walk away from it all..."

"And miss out on power, glory and more riches than you can imagine?" sneered the Robed Man, "No Timothy, you can't just walk away from such a promise. No sane man would turn down an offer like what I've given you."

"I know. I've always wanted a dragon on the throne of at least one of our kingdoms." the turtle sighed, "And your plan is definitely the way to achieve this. Make Lilac look like a bad guy and get the populace to hate her while I look like a hero in their eyes and sign up for the upcoming elections next week. Once I win and become the new Mayor of Shang Mu, I'll then hand my title over to you."

"Indeed. And once I'm Mayor of Shang Mu, you will have your wish. A dragon on the throne." the Robed Man purred, "As well as more money than you've ever had in your life and the honour of ruling Avalice beside a dragon such as myself."

"I know. Speaking of which, can you please show me your face for once Memphis?" Timothy asked, "I want to see the dragon I'm going to be ruling alongside when our plan succeeds."

The mysterious Avalician nodded and then pulled down his hood to reveal his true face. He revealed himself to be a dragon with red scales, a lighter red face, yellow eyes and four horns protruding from the back of his head. He had a rather nasty smile on his face as if he was planning a grisly murder any moment now. This was the face of the man who had brutally and ruthlessly murdered his own brother and his sister-in-law, Memphis the Dragon. Six years had passed since the evil crime had been committed and he still looked as ruthless and demonic as he did back then. Timothy stared at his draconian boss, amazed at what he truly looked like.

"Wow..." he gasped, "So that's what you look like..."

"You're quite amazed I can see." Memphis crooned, "Thank you. Now then Timothy, how has things been going for you lately?"

Timothy's familiar frown returned his face as Memphis asked him the question.

"I was relaxing in the park earlier today until Lilac's two friends decided to harass me!" he ranted, "They made me step on a rake, snatched my cane, hit me on the head with it and then they made me fall into a lake and covered me in treacle! It took me an hour to wash myself clean off that stuff!"

Memphis took in what Timothy had told him although he looked more amused to hear the story than sorry for his accomplice. His sinister mind was already analyzing what he had heard and thinking on how they could twist a simple act of pranks and japes into something that could aid them in their goal. This was the dangerous thing about the red-skinned dragon. He ALWAYS had a way of working events around him into his favour. No matter what happened in the world, he could somehow make it benefit him. He was one of the smartest Avalicians in the world and he showed why when it came to his plans. Memphis smiled wickedly.

"This could work to our advantage..." he purred, "If you tell everybody that Lilac has orchestrated and attack against your honour and dignity by having her two friends humiliate you like this then the seeds of doubt can be sown once again. They may not be very trusting towards a dragon who tells her best friends to harass an innocent old man..."

"I had the very same idea..." Timothy crowed, his face curling into a smile. His smile looked crooked and even unnatural as if smiling was something he had deliberately not learnt how to do.

"Great minds think alike." Memphis gloated, "And as it so happens, I have another idea that could very well turn the tides into our favour. Nobody likes Natalya, even after her heel-turn as you know. So what would the populace think...if they saw a photograph of Lilac and Natalya together? I've observed the child for quite a while and noticed that she seems to be warming up to my ex-girlfriend. I even saw her walk into Shang Tu Palace last night, presumably to see her. So if we could photograph the two together, you could produce the photo and explain that there is indeed a conspiracy going on and Lilac is in on it, working with Natalya to undermine the peace and serenity of our kingdoms."

"That's a great idea!" Timothy exclaimed, "But...how will we get such a photo?"

"Oh I intend to "help" Natalya get out of prison..." Memphis purred, "Once she's free...then Lilac's reputation will be back to square one...and then the next stage of my plan can commence..."

He cackled menacingly as he glanced down at his energy conductor, the tip still glowing purple as the Dark Stone's evil energy that he had absorbed with the device still swam around inside, desperate to be freed. It would be freed very soon. And when it was...Avalice would end up receiving a crippling blow that it would never see coming...

* * *

_**Bet you didn't see that coming! Timothy is working for the Robed Man and is only PRETENDING to hate dragons the whole time! And the Robed Man is Lilac's uncle Memphis?! This isn't good...and his plan doesn't sound good either! Will he succeed? Find out next time...**_


	7. Chapter 7: Natalya Released

_Chapter 7: Natalya Released_

"Lilac dear, would you like to help me with some baking at all?" asked Lela sweetly as she began to slip on an apron and tie the straps around behind her back, "I'm going to make cookies and scones to have with mealtimes throughout the week."

"Sorry Mrs. Basset, but no thanks." Lilac replied, stacking some dirty dishes together and carrying them over to the sink, "I'm a useless cook. Last time I tried to cook, I nearly burnt the house down. And that was the day me and Carol moved in no less!"

The remark made the dragon and hound chuckle. Lela imagined it must have been a rather unfortunate time to nearly burn down your own house, the day you first moved in.

"Reminds me of my first day cooking too." Lela said, thinking back to her childhood, "I nearly burnt the house down too. That day is always on my mind whenever I start cooking, baking or whatever. It seems to work for I've never had a repeat of what happened that day."

"I can't ever imagine you having a disaster in the kitchen honey." her husband, Miguel, laughed as he slipped on a pair of oven gloves and got out a baking tray for he and his wife to use.

That set them all off. The three Avalicians began laughing out loud even though the joke hadn't really been all that funny. While Carol and Milla had been out making a fool out of Timothy Turtle, Lilac and the Bassets were still inside and doing chores around the house. Lilac seemed to be on wash duty, putting down the stash of dirty dishes from breakfast earlier beside the sink and filling it up with hot steaming water. Miguel and Lela were baking together, a hobby they enjoyed doing and a hobby Lilac was surprised to see Miguel sharing a like for with his wife. She had thought of Miguel as the kind of man who leaves his woman to do the cooking in the household but having lived with them for a few months now, she could see she had been wrong from the start. She was pleased with this as Lilac was the kind of girl who sneered at sexist stereotypes such as "All women should do is cook".

Lilac checked the water to see how hot it was and she turned the sink off. The water was close to the edge but not close enough to overflow. Lilac grabbed a cloth and began scrubbing clean her own dish that she'd eaten off of at breakfast. Lela and Miguel began pouring flour into a bowl after they had weighted it out and Lela picked up a sieve, preparing to sieve in some bicarbonate of soda. Miguel opened the sugar box, ready to pour some onto the weighing scales when it was time to put it in. The hounds watched as Lilac put her now clean plate into the rack, leaving it to dry for a moment as she washed up the next dish.

"Do you usually do the dishes around here when me and Lela aren't doing it?" asked Miguel.

"When it was me, Carol and Milla, I always wash the dishes." Lilac explained, rubbing the plate that Carol had eaten off of at breakfast with the wet cloth, "Before Milla, I'd try and make Carol do the dishes. When I came in to see how she was doing, she'd somehow managed to wet herself, the floor and break the dishes. Carol has not been allowed near them again."

The hounds chuckled. Somehow, they could imagine Carol doing something so clumsy. Lilac smiled with them, seeing the funny side of what she had said.

"What does Carol usually do when you make her do chores then dearie?" asked Lela curiously.

"I get her to hoover the house, something she often gets annoyed it." the dragon snickered, "Aside from that, there's not many chores I trust her to do without creating havoc. Like me, she can't cook. When she tried to cook, she set the kitchen on fire!"

"Goodness!" Miguel and Lela exclaimed in unison.

"It's a darn good thing I had the fire extinguisher handy otherwise the whole house would have burnt down like it did when Brevon's robo-henchwoman did it two weeks ago…" Lilac muttered, "Also I don't trust Carol with dusting. She somehow manages to make more mess! I already told you about the dishes. As for the floor, I once made her mop the floor. She got carried away and made the floor too slippery with water."

"So I guess you did most of the housework?" asked Miguel.

"At first. Then Milla joined and she helped with some of the chores." the dragon explained, "Your daughter I swear is such a sweetheart. Kind, bubbly, playful and even helpful. I'm still glad I met her that day in Relic Maze."

"That's so nice to hear Lilac. And very kind too." Lela said, putting butter and sugar into a bowl and mixing them together, "Very kind of you to say that about our little Milla. She's very helpful to us too, helping me with dinner and helping Miguel whenever he's had a rough day. I couldn't ask for a better daughter…"

Lilac stopped what she was doing as if the last sentence had had a paralyzing effect on her. Miguel saw this and was quick to comfort the startled teenager.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Oh nothing. It's just…my mom and dad used to say the same thing to me…" Lilac murmured, "I…I just stiffen whenever I'm reminded of them. Their deaths really were that heavy and tragic for me…"

Miguel nodded, feeling very sorry for the poor dragon. How horrible must it have been for her when she walked into the kitchen that faithful day and saw her own uncle murder her own parents and cut off their tendrils to later show to Natalya? He couldn't imagine even for a minute what it must have felt like. The shock and horror was beyond imagination. Miguel took off his oven gloves and patted Lilac softly on the back.

"We're sorry. We didn't know that." he said.

"It's OK Mr. Basset." said Lilac, "You're not forbidden from saying certain things just because they make me think of my parents. They always believed in freedom of speech. I do too so you can say what you want. I just need to try and fight away the memories when they come to me."

"That's fine sweetheart." said Lela, still mixing the butter and sugar together, "So, forgive me for asking this…but did you often help your parents around the house? I mean, the one you used to live in before that day?"

"Oh yes. I'd help mom and dad with the dishes and the dusting most of the time. I used to be scared of the vacuum cleaner when I was small so I didn't really help with the hovering." the dragon said, "I'd often hide when dad got the enormous thing out!" She chuckled before continuing, "But anyways, I'd also help mom by setting the table when it was dinner time. Mom and dad really appreciated how helpful I could be at times. Funny how those days seem so far away now…it feels like I've not seen them for all my life rather than six years…"

She tried hard to choke back the tears that welled up in her eyes but couldn't help letting one small tear escape and trickle down her cheek. Miguel and Lela shook their heads sadly. Their eyes were full of sympathy. Poor Lilac. A happy child who's childhood had been snatched away by a cold-blooded murderer. What had she done to deserve this? They wished they could help her in some way but the two knew that dealing with tragedy such as the loss of a loved one was not something easily helped. However, Lilac didn't remain sad for long. She wiped her tear away and continued to wash the dishes, now picking up Milla's breakfast bowl and dunking it into the water.

"But we can't keep dwelling in the past." Lilac said, "The best thing to do is keep moving forward."

"Good idea love." said Lela, now pouring in the sieved up flour and bicarbonate and mixing it up with the butter and sugar in the bowl, "Say um, just out of interest…have you decided on Natalya's offer yet?"

"Oh I have." said Lilac brightly, "I slept on it last night and I made my decision. I'll tell you once Carol and Milla return. I want them to hear it too."

"I'm sure whatever your decision is, you've made the right one." Miguel said kindly, walking back over to Lela so he could have a turn at mixing up the ingredients.

Lilac nodded, believing that her decided choice was indeed the right one. She wondered how everybody else was going to react to it when she revealed her choice. It was funny to think how a good night's sleep had helped her decide. Lilac supposed that a lot of people made their best decisions after a good night's sleep. She remembered how her mother often did the same. Then suddenly, just as she had finished wiping Milla's breakfast bowl clean, the door opened and in walked the two people she had been waiting for. Carol and Milla walked into the living room, seemingly laughing over something. They must have been having fun together. Miguel and Lela stopped what they were doing and they turned to see the wildcat and Basset Hound walk into the kitchen, big amused grins on their faces. Lilac smiled at the sight of them.

"Carol! Milla! How have you been?" she asked excitedly.

"Oh me and Milla have been having a good time together eh little doggy?" Carol asked, winking at Milla.

"Oh yes! Carol took me for an amazing bike ride in the plains just beyond the forests!" Milla squealed excitedly, "It was loads of fun!"

"Funny, I didn't hear any motorbike engines roaring…" Lilac said suspiciously.

"I didn't drive to the plains Lilac, I just wheeled my bike through the forests as I didn't want to disturb you and Milla's parents with the sound of revving engines while you was having breakfast." Carol retorted, "Isn't it obvious?"

"Well that's quite thoughtful of you." the dragon said, her suspicions easing, "Anyway, I'm glad you two are back. I have something important to tell you."

The wildcat was surprised. Lilac hadn't said anything about something important to tell her at breakfast. Then again, she supposed Lilac was waiting for the right time to say so.

"Oh really? What's that?" the tomboy feline asked.

Lilac breathed in deeply for a moment and then answered. It was as if she was preparing herself for what had to be said.

"You know about last night and Natalya's offer." she said, "Well, I've made my decision. I thought about it very carefully as I slept and I've finally decided on what to do."

"What's your decision then?" asked Milla.

There was a pause before the dragon answered the dog's question.

"I've decided…to let Natalya adopt me." she announced, "Given how you've all softened up to her, I suppose this DOESN'T shock or disgust you in anyway."

She paused, waiting for the inevitable reactions that would surely come from her friends. Sure enough, they came. Carol, Milla, Lela and Miguel all stared at Lilac, clearly expecting her to have decided on not letting Natalya adopt her. They were well surprised she had instead chosen to actually let Natalya adopt her. Miguel and Lela looked more fascinated than shocked whereas Carol and Milla looked as if they'd been slapped in the face. They weren't at all ashamed of Lilac for making the decision, but they were surprised she had decided on it.

"Whoa…I didn't expect that…" Carol murmured, "I honestly thought you were gonna say no…"

"Me too!" gasped Milla.

"Well I'm very happy you've made that choice Lilac." said Lela kindly, "It's the most Natalya deserves after a long hard life of tragedy and heartbreak. She'll be very happy to hear this."

"What made you decide to say yes?" asked Miguel curiously.

"Well…if I'm to be honest…it's because of the fact Natalya was my mom's best friend before Memphis screwed with her life." the dragon said softly, "My mom and Natalya were very close and mom meant everything to Natalya. Her death was the reason she went all dark and evil. If Natalya was my mom's best friend…then why shouldn't I let her be my new mom? It'd be nice to honour her memory by letting her best friend fill in the void she sadly left behind. Plus, Natalya held me as a baby and said it was the happiest moment of her life. Wouldn't it be so kind of me if I…you know…gave her a new happiest moment of her life? Becoming her adopted daughter will be that new happiest moment of her life. And if she's happy, she'll be more glad that she's turned good again."

The Avalicians before her nodded as if thinking her reason was very logical and even big-hearted of her. They knew Lilac was kind and had a big heart, but somehow she'd managed to come off as more big-hearted than they thought she was. It was as if Lilac was trying to defy what her friends thought of her. Carol walked up to Lilac, a bright smile on her face and a twinkle in her eyes.

"Lilac…you're the kindest, most good-hearted person I've ever met." she said, embracing her friend, "You honestly make me so glad that you're my best friend."

"That's very nice of you to be so kind towards Natalya, even if she did nasty things to us." Milla said, "You'll make her very happy Lilac."

"Aww…thank you girls." said Lilac happily, embracing her two friends, "I'm so glad you're OK with my decision. You'll have to get used to Natalya living with us now though."

"It'll feel a bit awkward if I'm honest." Carol said sheepishly, "It'll feel like sleeping with a she-devil for a bit. But I suppose we'll be OK with her. We warmed up to Milla's parents after all."

"It's a little different to that though." the purple-skinned Avalician chuckled, "Still, Natalya will be part of our "family" now so to say. When she's released from prison she will be living with us. I want you all to make her feel welcome and part of the household. Don't treat her as an outcast or like a snake waiting to bite you. We don't want her feeling like she's an outcast, especially after such a hard life…"

"We'll be nice to her!" Milla promised, her tail wagging vigorously with joy.

"Even I'll try and be nice to her." the wildcat said casually, "Does this mean that you're gonna call Natalya "mom" now?" she added, giggling a little with a mischievous smirk on her face.

Lilac shot Carol a sneering face that suggested she was trying to say "Ha, ha, real funny Carol" with just a facial expression.

"Nah, I doubt I'd ever be able to call her "mom"." she chuckled, "Just Natalya will do. If you wanna call her "Auntie" or something, you're welcome to do so."

Carol's response was a playful jab to the ribs that made the dragon laugh merrily at her before poking her back. Milla giggled, thinking that Lilac and Carol were being pretty funny poking each other like that. Sometimes when the girls playfully fought each other, they made her laugh very much.

"You're real funny Little Miss Comedic-Pants!" Carol chortled.

"You're too kind Little Miss Pokey-Pants." Lilac snickered.

"So I guess you're gonna go to Shang Mu and tell Natalya you're going to say yes?" the cat asked.

"Yes I am." the dragon replied, "I'll be back shortly and when I get back, we can have some more fun, make the most of today while we can as it's quite nice out there. I might even see if The Magister will release her too. See you later everybody."

"Bye Lilac!" the Avalicians said brightly, waving her goodbye as she left through the front door.

The moment Lilac left, the three dogs and one cat all looked at each other incredulously. Natalya was going to be Lilac's new mum! She was going to live with them once she was released! What would it be like? They had a feeling that it was going to be a rather interesting experience. An experience that would be more interesting than anything they'd experienced before…

* * *

Unbeknownst to Lilac or her friends, Shang Tu was already receiving a visitor. Right now as Lilac was setting off for her hourly journey to Shang Tu, a man was walking towards the Royal Palace as if he owned the place and was simply returning home. He didn't own the palace and he wasn't returning home. He was visiting but for a very different reason to most people who visit the palace. He wasn't sending letters requesting changes in the city's politics or anything along those lines to The Magister, he wasn't here to see any of the prisoners. He was here to carry out something that would greatly benefit his plans.

Underneath the big red hood and the huge flowing robes, it always amused Memphis that he could walk out into public like this in plain sight of guards and politicians and nobody suspected for a minute he was the man under the robes. He remembered how The Magister had placed a bounty on his head the day he had murdered his impudent brother and stupid sister-in-law. The bounty had been a sum of over two million Avalician crystal shards. People had tried to apprehend him for six years but adopting a disguise like the one he wore now and laying low whenever he wasn't out in public, Memphis had never been captured. Some people were even presuming he might be dead. He had certainly seen a lot less Wanted posters of him as the years went by. The Magister himself might well have fallen into the false belief that he was dead. Good. That would make his return more shocking when the time was right.

Memphis walked into the Royal Palace with no regards for special entries or invitations. It was if he didn't care that this place was royalty. It was just another building for him to walk into. As expected, General Gong and Neera Li spotted him coming in and they were quick to block his way. Memphis remembered them both. He'd seen Neera Li before during a visit in Shuigang a year before he murdered Lilac's parents. She was still as beautiful now as she was back then in her eyes. He also knew why the priestess was here. She had left Shuigang during the incident with Lord Brevon last year to try and knock some sense into Prince Dail, who had been brainwashed at the time. Memphis knew nothing about Brevon or why Neera Li had left Shuigang. All he knew was that she now lived in Shang Tu. The she-panda pointed her ice sceptre at Memphis, her face stern and full of authority.

"Hold it right there sir." she said, her voice firm but calm, "You can't just waltz in here. You need an invitation or an actual place of residence in order to enter this palace."

"My apologies my fair maiden." the veiled dragon purred smoothly, "It's just, I have a personal request for General Gong here."

"Me?!" Gong exclaimed, "Well um…what do you want sir?"

"Am I correct in believing that you are currently holding the notorious Red Scarf leader Natalya in your very prison right now?" Memphis asked, keeping his hood low so Gong wouldn't see his face.

"Um…y-yes but uh…why do you wanna know?" the panda asked quizzically.

He didn't trust this man. And neither did Neera Li. And why did he seem familiar all of the sudden? He could swear he had heard that smooth, purring voice before. The British accent stood out to him in particular. He must have heard the voice before. But where? His face gave nothing away, neither did Neera Li's. They decided to keep it up and see where this went before thinking about raising any alarms.

"Because I am a man who believes she has been wrongfully imprisoned and I would be so very, very happy if you could let justice take its course and let her go." Memphis crooned, "I think she deserves to be released given the rather…wonderful rumours I've heard about her turning good and helping to stop some alien warlord who threatened our planet or something like that. Am I…correct?"

Gong and Neera Li were speechless. Utterly dumbfounded by the request they had received. They had received many requests, mostly politically related, but nothing like this before! Somebody was actually asking for the two to release Natalya?! While the two couldn't see anything particularly wrong with releasing Natalya since she had turned good and was behaving herself well in prison, they were in no position to answer requests like this. Gong puffed his chest out and Neera Li frowned at the stranger on their doorstep.

"Sorry sir, we do not take requests like this." Neera said coldly, "I'm afraid we cannot accept it. Please leave here at once."

Memphis did not take kindly to this answer. He responded by suddenly whipping out what looked like a primitive yet effective flintlock pistol that he had stored up his sleeve and he pointed it straight at Gong's head! He pulled back the hammer, priming the pistol and getting ready to fire. Neera Li was horrified. Guns were very rare in Avalice and many places outside the kingdoms declared them illegal. Only the guards in the kingdoms were allowed guns so they could stun anybody who tried to resist arrest. And yet this unauthorized man in the red and yellow robes before them somehow had a gun in his hand! And he clearly looked as if he was going to use it. The eyes that peered out from the shadows of his hood stared straight into Gong's terrified eyes. Then they glanced over at Neera, the panda wondering what to do without risking Gong's life.

"Let me rephrase that." snarled Memphis, "Release Natalya from prison right now or I will show you what it's like to have a bullet slammed into your brain."

"Y-y-you c-c-can't do that!" Gong whimpered.

"Put the gun down right this second you creep!" Neera snarled, "If you do not comply I'll be forced to freeze you alive!"

"Sorry, I happen to have the ability to breathe fire." the dragon sneered, "Ice won't stop me. Now do as you're told otherwise Gong's head will be considerably emptier than it usually is! If you still refuse, I will shot you too. Believe me…I am no slouch with a gun."

The royal priestess stared helplessly at Gong for a moment. On the one hand she could try and freeze this stranger. But on the other hand, what if she wasn't fast enough? And what if the stranger was telling the truth and he could actually breathe fire? He'd simply melt his way out and then kill them both. They might have a chance of saving themselves then but now, they had no chance. The man could shoot them both dead before they could even blink. He was a man who was not made of petty, hollow threats. If he made a threat, he could back it up. And for all Neera knew, he might have another pistol hiding up his sleeve. It was hopeless. They had to give in. Neera sighed in annoyance and lowered her sceptre.

"Fine…we'll release Natalya. Just put the gun down for god's sake!" she exclaimed.

"It's funny hearing a priestess taking the name of the lord in vain." sneered Memphis, "Now you two do the job or I'll shoot you both now. If you tell anybody about this, I'll find you both and kill you in your sleep. When Natalya is released, The Magister isn't to hear of this. You will tell nobody…otherwise your next night's sleep will be an endless slumber."

The very thought of this deranged man sneaking into their bedrooms and shooting them as they slept was enough to make Gong and Neera tremble, and usually Neera Li wasn't so easy to scare. Fighting off the horrible image, the two pandas nodded.

"We understand." the priestess muttered, "So...how do we explain this to Natalya when we release her?"

"Tell her that she's gained enough public sympathy to warrant a release." Memphis ordered, "She isn't to hear about me either."

"But you want her released!" Gong exclaimed, "Why don't you..."

"THAT. IS. AN. ORDER." the dragon spat the words out one by one, his finger tightening on the trigger.

"W-w-w-whatever y-y-you s-s-say sir..." the general responded, his face raining with sweat.

"Don't think you're getting away with this atrocity." Neera warned, "We'll hunt you down and arrest you for this, make no mistake about that!"

"Just let Natalya out of her cell before I lose my patience!" Memphis snarled, the gun quivering in his hand as his grip tightened.

The two panda responded immediately. They quickly turned around and ran off to the dungeons to release Natalya from her cell. The moment they left, Memphis put the pistol back into his sleeve and he turned around and walked away. He chortled to himself as he left the palace. Some guards The Magister had! They gave into him the moment he produced a gun in his hand! And hopefully his threat of hunting them down and killing them in their sleep would make them comply and keep quiet about the whole thing. After all, his grand plan hinged on them not breathing a word about what had happened now. Pleased with himself, Memphis walked out of Shang Tu and headed off to a nearby building. His comrade Timothy Turtle was hiding behind the building, waiting for his turn. The turtle's part would come in now Natalya was going to be released...

* * *

In the dungeons of the Royal Palace, Natalya was once again lounging on the bed and staring up at the ceiling. She had eaten breakfast and done some exercising of course and was now just relaxing and waiting for time to pass again. After two weeks of doing the same thing over and over in the cell, Natalya was beginning to get bored of it and now hoped against all hope that she would eventually be released. Then the boredom could finally end and she'd be able to live a life again. Even though she had willingly allowed herself to be arrested to prove that she was no longer the menace people once knew her as, she was slowly but surely beginning to regret making that decision. The boredom was beginning to get to her now. But there was something else.

After her meeting with Lilac last night, Natalya was beginning to feel a sense of loneliness that she hadn't felt in a long time. She'd experienced the feeling after Dawn had called off their friendship due to her tangling up with fanatic dragons along with Memphis and the feeling had gotten worse after Dawn had been killed. After getting to tell Lilac her life story and spend some time with her beloved former student, Natalya now suddenly longed to see her again. Lilac had given her something else to do in the cell and now without her, she was back to her boring old routine again. The four-horned dragon sighed melancholically to herself, her eyes gazing at the ceiling as if she was expecting something strange to happen for no reason other than to liven things up in this boring room of three walls and a barred door.

"Don't feel too bored Natalya…" she said to herself, "You'll see Lilac again. She did promise to visit tomorrow night with her answer to your offer. Gong said so. Just a pity time passes so slowly in this place…I bet my former comrades went mad with boredom in this dungeon when they were locked up in it…"

She could almost imagine how the Red Scarves felt when they had been captured and locked up in this vapid dungeon. It seemed like yesterday when she and Spade had broken into the place to get them out. Now she was wondering if anybody would want to try and break her out. But would that be a good thing? Hardly. Natalya did not want people getting the wrong idea about her, thinking that her claims of turning over a new leaf were nothing but a lie. Her heart would break if Lilac ended up getting that idea. No, it would be better to serve her sentence. As boring as it was, it would prove she had turned good and nobody would have any reason to fear her.

Then suddenly, Natalya was snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of approaching footsteps. She presumed it was Neera Li or General Gong checking on her to make sure she was behaving herself. Why couldn't the two stop treating her as if she was bear trap waiting to snap shut on them?! She'd not stirred up any trouble for two weeks! What more did they need in order to realize she wasn't a threat anymore?! But then Natalya heard another surprising sound. A sound she didn't think she'd hear after only two weeks behind bars. The sound of a key _inserting into the lock and turning!_ The dragon sat up as her door was unlocked and Neera Li stepped into the cell. Her face was as cold as ever though Natalya could swear the panda looked a little disturbed for some reason. She ignored it.

"Hello there Neera Li? What's the meaning of this?" the dragon asked curiously, "Have I in anyway, done something wrong?"

"No. I'm here with good news." Neera said, her face softening and Natalya swore for a moment she saw the priestess _smile_ at her. This was unusual. Neera Li would never smile at her normally.

"What good news is that then?" asked Natalya.

"Well as it turns out, the public actually sympathize with you and believe your story on how you've turned good." the panda said brightly, "That combined with your good behaviour has warranted your release."

Natalya stared at the black-haired panda as if her head was about to fall off and a new one was going to grow in her place.

"W-what?" she gasped.

"You're no longer our prisoner. We release you." Neera said kindly.

"You mean…I…I…I'm free?!" Natalya stammered.

"Yes you are." the priestess said, "But don't you dare squander our generosity. If you so much as think about doing anything immoral again, we will lock you back up."

"Oh thank you Neera Li! Thank you so much! I promise you, you won't regret this!" the former villainess squealed excitedly, "I'm so happy that the public wants me out and you think I've behaved myself well enough to deserve my freedom back!"

"You're welcome…" Neera said glumly, "So, enjoy your first day out of prison Natalya. I hope you enjoy your returned freedom."

"I'll enjoy every moment of it, especially since I can see my beloved Lilac again sooner than expected." Natalya said gleefully, "Goodbye Neera, and tell The Magister and General Gong I said thank you for their kindness too."

"I will." the panda said, standing to the side so Natalya could now leave her cell.

Natalya did not wait in her cell a minute longer. She walked past Neera Li and instantly made her way to the entrance so she could now leave the cell blockade behind. Freedom had been returned to her! She could now leave her confined space behind and enjoy the sunshine and fresh air again! As Natalya left, Neera Li followed after her, nervous on what The Magister would think if he ever found out about this. And why did the stranger at the palace door want Natalya released? She felt like she had to warn Natalya. Something told her that something very, very bad was about to happen. But she couldn't, not with the fear of the stranger coming to the palace to murder her and Gong while they slept. Besides, if the stranger attempted to kidnap or hurt Natalya, which was likely why he demanded her release, she would be able to take care of herself. She could fight Lilac to a standstill so she was the last person to worry about. But Neera still couldn't help but feel that this was the beginning of something very, very bad…

* * *

Meanwhile, Lilac had finally arrived at Shang Tu and was just heading towards the city. She was in a field of grass that spread around the edges of the city and it wouldn't take her long to traverse through it and then she would be inside the city. Then she would walk through the city and over to the Royal Palace. She had told Gong to tell Natalya that she would visit her tomorrow night but the dragon couldn't wait for tonight. She had decided to see her earlier than planned. She thought the former Red Scarf would be pleasantly surprised to see her sooner rather than later. Plus Lilac was itching to tell her that she'd decided to let Natalya adopt her. She was bursting with excitement. How happy would Natalya be to hear she was going to say yes? Happier than ever before? As happy as she had been since the day she first met Dawn? Even happier than that? Lilac couldn't wait.

It was because of how excited she was as to why she had run all the way to Shang Tu rather than walking there. She was keen to get there quickly so she could tell Natalya right now. But she soon found herself getting the surprise of her life. To her astonishment, she could see Natalya actually running through the city of Shang Tu! She was leaving the palace and heading towards the field! Lilac stopped dead in her tracks and gaped incredulously at what she was seeing. Had the mauve-scaled dragon been released earlier than expected? If so then that was wonderful. It meant Lilac could give Natalya the good news to brighten up her first day out of prison. Lilac stood there waiting for Natalya to reach her. In a few seconds, the dragon ran up to her and smiled widely at the sight of her beloved teen-dragon. What a sight to behold when first being released from prison!

"Sash Lilac! My dear child! How wonderful it is to run into you!" Natalya cried breathlessly.

"Same to you!" Lilac gasped, "I was coming to visit you and yet you're now out of prison!"

"I know! Neera Li told me that the public sympathy for me was great enough to warrant my release as well as my good behaviour! I'm free again!" the dragon cried, throwing her arms aside and inhaling deeply as the sweet smell of grass entered her nostrils.

"Oh Natalya, that's wonderful!" the heroine dragon exclaimed, "I'm so happy for you! You've gotten what you deserve, freedom again! And sooner than we thought! My mom would be so happy to see this…"

"Oh Dawn would be ecstatic to see this…" Natalya agreed, "I imagine she'd be throwing her arms around me and gushing over how happy she is that I'm free again…"

Lilac nodded.

"So Lilac, what brought you to Shang Tu? I thought you were going to visit me tonight?" the reformed Avalician asked quizzically.

"I was. But after sleeping on it last night, I decided to visit you earlier." Lilac explained, "Anyway, you know your offer? I've made my decision."

"Yes? Go on."

"Be prepared to cry with joy Natalya…because my answer is yes." Lilac replied, "I say yes to your offer. Natalya, you may now start your new life…as my new mom."

Natalya put her hands to her mouth in astonishment. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she took in what Lilac had said. Against all odds, her beloved dragon had actually said yes! Her best friend's daughter was allowing her to adopt her! This day was getting better and better and Natalya was thankful that for once, things were going well for her.

"Oh thank you so much!" Natalya cried, throwing her arms around Lilac and hugging her, "Thank you so, so much! Oh Lilac, this is the nicest thing anyone after Dawn has ever done for me! I'm so glad you said yes! Thank you so much for accepting!"

"You're welcome Natalya." Lilac said kindly, hugging her former enemy in return, "I'd be honoured to have you as my new mom. You was mom's best friend and you wish to make up for all your past mistakes. Adopting me is your reward for your desire to improve Natalya."

"It's the best reward I could ever ask for!" Natalya exclaimed, "You're going to be the perfect daughter for me Lilac and I'll treat you with the respect you deserve! I'll be the mother that Dawn once was for you…"

"You don't have to try and be like mom." said Lilac softly, "Just be who you want. But regardless, you're going to be very pleasant to have around now you've changed. I'm going to enjoy having you as my new mom."

"Thank you Lilac…thank you…" the delighted dragon said graciously, "Just a heads up though, you do NOT have to call me "mom" if you don't want. You can still call me Natalya."

"I can't really see myself calling you mom anyway." the teen-Avalician giggled, "But still, I'm very happy with my decision and I'm glad it's made you so happy."

"It's made me the happiest dragon in the world." Natalya whispered, "Thank you once again Lilac…my new daughter."

"You're welcome…my new mom." Lilac replied sweetly.

The two embraced again, already feeling the love the two would be displaying for each other. At long last, they could officially declare their old rivalry over and that their old lives with each other were gone for good. Their new lives as foster mother and adopted daughter had begun and it was a life the two would enjoy immensely together. Unfortunately, it wasn't going to go as well as they had thought. Unbeknownst to them, a camera had been clicking and several photos of the two embracing and Natalya crying happily had been taken. The camera was hidden behind a building and was in the hands of a man who wanted to ruin Lilac's reputation. The man…was Timothy Turtle. His camera had a very good zoom on it so that even though he was several yards away, the photos were taken as if he had been standing in front of them. Now he had enough photos, Timothy switched the camera off. His camera, like everything else in his house, was the old-fashioned type. The type that had film instead of memory cards. He would get the photos later and then they would be used in Memphis's wicked plan to destroy Lilac's life. The turtle was not at all pleased with what he was doing.

"Damn you for making me do this Memphis…" he growled, "Had I know I'd be having to ruin the reputation of such a wonderful creature, I'd never have agreed to this…"

His face contorted with loathing. Why did Memphis have to make him do this?! And why had he even agreed to his offer?! To get a dragon on the throne that was why. But Timothy was beginning to feel regrets for the way he was going about this. Hopefully when Memphis got what he wanted, he could quietly retreat from him and make up to Lilac for what he had done to her. Sighing, he turned and plodded away with Memphis emerging from the shadows to follow him home…

* * *

A few hours had passed since Lilac and Natalya had met up with each other and Lilac had given Natalya the good news. In order to make a good start to their new lives as foster mother and adopted daughter, Lilac had offered to do some activities with Natalya. These had included going for walks in the forest, playing some games with one another and even having lunch together for their time together had been so long that lunch time had arrived. Now the two were heading back to the treehouse, the older dragon feeling very excited for she had never been in Lilac's house before. She still felt guilty over the original one being burnt down since it had been her idea when she and Brevon had made that terrible alliance two weeks ago. But the teen-dragon had assured her it was OK. The house had been rebuilt and the events of the Dark Stone had been forgotten about. Natalya was curious to see what the new house looked like.

The two arrived after a long walk through the forests and Lilac began climbing up the rope ladder to her front door. Natalya followed.

"I will say your choice of habitat, while beautiful, is definitely unusual." Natalya murmured, "I personally wouldn't have chosen to live in a tree. But I bet it must be a nice feeling to live up here in one."

"It's a nice feeling indeed." Lilac said brightly, "I feel close to nature and like I'm in a place few people will ever find me, giving me a nice secluded feeling whenever I'm inside."

"That sounds lovely." Natalya said brightly, "And I must say, thank you for spending those past hours with me. It's been the most fun I've had in ages."

"Aww you're welcome." the teen-dragon said kindly as she climbed up onto the porch and walked up to her door, "I love making my friends happy and after what you've been through, I want you to be very happy."

"You really do have your mother's heart." the older dragon said softly as she reached the top of the ladder too, "You're as kind and loving as she was. No wonder Dawn was so happy to have a daughter like you…"

Lilac smiled sweetly, appreciating the kind comment. She loved it when people compared her to her mother, which sadly didn't happen very often because not many people she saw these days ever knew her or Dawn. Anyone who did know her only knew her as the Heroine of Avalice, the one who had saved the world from Brevon and foiled The Christmas Raid. They hadn't known her when Dawn was alive and when she was just a child loving her mother. It was nice to receive a comment like that again for the first time in a long time.

"You have no idea how much that means to me." Lilac said as Natalya approached her, "To say I have my mom's kindness and heart is the best compliment I could ever receive."

"I'm only saying what's true my dear." Natalya said kindly, lightly stroking her newly adopted daughter's cheek.

The dragon beamed and then turned around to open the door and let herself and her adopted mother inside. Upon entering the house, she was quickly greeted by Carol, Milla, Miguel and Lela again. Natalya stayed outside, waiting to make her entrance. She didn't want to enter too quickly. Lilac was embraced by all four Avalicians and received the inevitable questions from them.

"So how did it go?"

"What took you so long? It's past lunch time!"

"Have you seen Natalya? What did you tell her?"

"Guys, guys! Take it easy!" Lilac exclaimed, chuckling at their eagerness to hear about her meeting, "I'm gonna tell you all about that right now."

The four Avalicians waited for Lilac to speak. The dragon could tell from their faces that they were dying to know how everything went. She spoke.

"I went over to Shang Tu…but this is the surprising part. Natalya was released!" Lilac exclaimed, "Apparently, she got enough public sympathy to warrant a release. That and she was well behaved too. So they let her go. I've been spending the past few hours making her first morning of freedom wonderful for her."

"Aww that's swell!" cried Carol, "And did Natalya behave herself with you?"

"She was absolutely perfect. No attempts were made to hurt me or kill me, she treated me as if I'm her best friend now my mom's gone." the dragon explained, "Natalya's a very changed woman now. She's the woman she was when mom and dad met her. That is to say, not evil and crazy."

"Yay! Natalya's good!" Milla squealed excitedly, wagging her tail.

"So where is she now?" asked Miguel curiously.

"Outside." Lilac said, "Natalya, you can come in now." she called out to her.

The former villainess suddenly began to feel nervous. Would Carol, Milla, Miguel and Lela be happy to see her? Would they treat her with suspicion and distrust? It seems they believed she was no longer evil now as Lilac told them about her. Maybe they'd accept her. Breathing in deeply, Natalya decided to give it a shot. Her heart was in her throat as she entered the house. She stood behind Lilac, looking sheepishly out to her friends. Carol, Milla, Miguel and Lela stared at the dragon as if thinking she'd appeared from nowhere. Natalya waved at them shyly, her face as meek as possible.

"Hello there…" she murmured nervously, "So um…surprised to see me free…are you not?"

"I'll admit, I thought you'd be locked up for a little longer." Carol admitted, "But I suppose it's cool they let you out Natalya. Now you have the chance to make up for all the bad things you did! And Lilac tells us you've been treating her very nicely. That already improves you in my eyes."

"We're so glad that you're good now Miss Natalya!" Milla exclaimed, "And we're very happy that you've been let out. Now you can be happy again too!"

The dragon was astonished to receive such a reception. Despite all she'd done to them in the past, Carol and Milla were as willing as Lilac was to forgive her and accept her? She had no idea that Lilac's friends could be as good-hearted as she was. Smiling appreciatively, Natalya relaxed.

"Why thank you so much children." she said graciously, "That's very nice of you. I'm glad you're willing to give me a chance."

"If Lilac's giving you a chance than so should we." Carol said with a wink, "Anyway, she told us about your story last night and I gotta say…I feel sorry for you. Yes I know, it's weird for me to say that but, I really feel sorry for you. You had a bad life and the death of Lilac's mom made you go crazy. Nobody should have that happen to them."

"I was hoping she'd tell you all my story as I'd told her." Natalya said casually, "I'm glad you sympathize for me. What Lilac has told you is the absolute truth…and I regret ever losing my mind after Dawn's death. I can promise you now that you are looking at a changed dragon. I am no longer Natalya the Lead Scarf. I am now Natalya the Dragon Woman…Lilac's foster mother."

The Avalicians gasped upon hearing this.

"No way…Lilac, did you say yes?" Carol gasped.

"I sure did." Lilac said brightly, "I said yes. I've allowed Natalya to adopt me. She wanted to start her life anew as my new mom, so I've decided to let her."

"Oh Lilac, that really was nice of you!" Lela exclaimed.

"So glad you and Natalya are happy together." Miguel added, "It'll be much nicer to have Natalya mothering you instead of…ahem…you know."

"It will indeed." the dragon agreed, "Though I'm still allowed to call her Natalya. I don't have to call her "mom"." she added, giggling.

"I'd prefer her that way too." the wildcat snickered, "So Natalya's joining us now right?"

"Indeed."

"Well in that case, welcome to Team Lilac!" Carol said enthusiastically, "I can definitely say, you're gonna be kickass to have in a fight given how kickass in a fight you are! No evil doer will ever beat us now!"

"I'm sure they won't." Natalya said, chuckling, "I'm glad you all welcome me despite my treatment of you all before. It means so much to me that you can put my evil past behind me just like I can."

The Avalicians smiled. But before anything else could happen, something began to chime out from nearby. When Lilac and Natalya had returned home, Carol and Milla had been watching television but they had left it on when rushing over to see the two. Now the room fell silent, they could hear it still playing and it seemed to be onto the news now. Everybody moved in closer to hear the news story that was currently playing. Lilac could swear she had heard her name being mentioned as they approached it. The six Avalicians all sat down in front of the television. It was the news that was playing and there was a tagline that made Lilac's blood run cold.

**Lilac: Good or Evil?**

The newsreader's voice droned from the TV.

"…and now we move onto the big topic of this afternoon. The famed Lilac the Dragon Girl's allegiance is once again unclear to us Avalicians. She was supposedly caught on camera interacting with the criminal dragon Natalya the Lead Scarf. She was the one behind The Christmas Raid last year, a raid that saw her attempt to murder the three leaders of the planet's respective kingdoms and attempting to take over the kingdoms with the nefarious group, the Red Scarves. The photographer who supplied the photos wishes to remain anonymous."

The screen then showed off photographs of Lilac and Natalya standing before each other, smiling and looking as if they were good friends rather than bitter enemies. There were more photos that showed them hugging and Natalya crying for some reason or another. Lilac's stomach tightened. Natalya stared incredulously, wondering how this had happened.

"What in the name of…who's done this?!" Natalya exclaimed, "Who's been photographing us secretly?!"

"I…I don't know…" Lilac whispered.

The news story continued.

"These photos clearly show that Lilac is now on friendly terms with the vile woman. Of course, this is causing an uproar as there are people who are beginning to suspect there's foul play involved. Natalya had been arrested two weeks ago and has been released for reasons unknown to us. It appears the public is now accusing Shang Tu of a conspiracy involving the criminal dragon. And it seems Avalice's hero Lilac the Dragon Girl is in on it too. We've had letters from people saying many things like:

"This is an outrage! How could they let that witch out of prison after what she did?! And now Lilac's being friendly with her?! I thought she's supposed to be a good guy!"

"There's definitely something fishy about all of this and it seems Lilac's not what she appears to be!"

"That old turtle was right to warn us! Lilac's with Natalya! They must be planning something! That dragon is evil, he was right all along!"

But there are people who think that things are not what they seem, including Shuigang's very own King Dail. He does not wish to be interviewed at this time but he's sent a message saying that we're all getting the wrong idea about Lilac and that Natalya's not evil anymore, corresponding with rumours that the crime boss had indeed reformed. But now the three kingdoms are in debate over what's true and what isn't. And now to add gasoline to the flames, we've been given a story from a Mr. Timothy Turtle. He has complained about being harassed and picked on for no reason by Lilac's two friends Carol the Wildcat and Milla the Hound. He was able to interview us later today."

The screen then changed to an image of Timothy Turtle himself, looking as grumpy as ever. The Avalicians stared in horror at the screen, Carol and Milla in particular for they hadn't expected Timothy to squeal on them. His image on the TV before them now seemed to mock them as he spoke.

"I was in the park by myself and minding my own business but then Lilac's two friends go and assault me for no reason!" he complained, "I hadn't done anything wrong to the cat and dog but they went and did it anyway! They made me stand on a rake…" he paused as he showed the camera focused on him the rake Carol and Milla had used on him, "…they hit me on the head with my own cane…" he showed off a rather sizeable bump he had on his head as he raised up his hat, "…they made me fall into a lake and then they finished off by spilling treacle on me!" he finished by showing the world the bucket that had contained the treacle that had been poured on him earlier, "And we know why they've done this…Lilac told them to! She's angry that I'm trying to warn the world about the evils of dragons! She wants to ruin my dignity to try and make me shut up! Well if you're watching this Lilac…"

He pointed at the camera as if he knew Lilac was watching this footage now and wanted her to know what he had to say.

"…just know that you'll never silence me! I know what you really are! You're a filthy, treacherous dragon who's only interest is to undermine the peace and serenity of our world! You will NOT silence me! Mark my words, you will be exposed for the villain you are and you'll be thrown in jail where you belong! PEACE FOR AVALICE!"

The footage ended and the newsreader concluded the story.

"So it seems that Lilac the Dragon Girl clearly isn't the saint she presents herself as but we will await further details should they present themselves. We'll keep you updated viewers should any new information come to us. And now for something completely different…"

Lilac switched the television off. Her face was ashen and her body was rigid. She could not believe what she had heard. Just after fixing her reputation yesterday, some horrible person goes and ruins it again! She had a strong suspicion that Timothy was the one who had taken the photos of her and Natalya and was using them as "proof" that she was evil. But now Timothy goes and complains about Carol and Milla assaulting him and assuming it was all her idea! Carol and Milla crept towards Lila nervously. Their throats felt dry as they saw Lilac tremble with anger.

"Lilac…w-w-we c-can explain…" the cat said timidly.

"WHAT THE HELL YOU TWO?!" Lilac bellowed at the top of her voice, "WHY THE HELL DID YOU GO OUT AND ATTACK TIMOTHY?! WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU TWO IDIOTS THINKING?!"

"I-I-I-It w-w-wasn't m-m-my idea!" whimpered Milla, "I-I-It w-w-was C-C-Carol's!"

"It's true! I talked her into it! I deserve all the blame!" Carol exclaimed.

"Well then Carol, what the hell did you think attacking that old windbag was going to do?! Make me look better?!" Lilac screamed, "You've just given people more reasons to hate me now! How dare you!"

"Lilac please, I didn't think this would happen!" the wildcat protested, "I-I-I'm sorry!"

"Don't you "I'm sorry" me Carol! My reputation's in flames again and you just poured gasoline on them!" Lilac shouted, "What the hell was going through your thick head when you decided to do this?!"

"Lilac…"

"Not another word!" the dragon snarled, "Get out of my house and don't come back until you can find a way to fix this mess!"

"But Lilac…"

"I SAID GET OUT!"

Carol recoiled. There was no point arguing with Lilac when she was in such a bad mood. When she was in this mood, it was always best to do as you were told. Her eyes streaming with tears, Carol turned around and ran out of the house. Her sobs could still be heard as she climbed down the rope ladder and left the treehouse. Milla began to cry too, feeling that Carol was being unfairly punished for something that wasn't her fault. Miguel and Lela glared at Lilac. Natalya just stayed where she was, unable to believe what had happened. She never thought Lilac would ever go so far as to kick her best friend out of her own house! She had witnessed a side of Lilac she never wanted to see again.

"Lilac! Shame on you!" Miguel yelled, "How could you do this to poor Carol?! She didn't mean for this to happen at all!"

"You're being too harsh on her Lilac! And you've made Milla cry by sending the poor cat away!" Lela shouted, "I think you should march out of that door and apologize to Carol immediately!"

"Oh Carol makes me look like the bad guy and I'M supposed to apologize?!" Lilac snapped, "You've got some weird logic right there you two! I'm not going to apologize to Carol for doing something so stupid! If you wanna leave and join her then fine, I don't ****ing care!"

With that said, the enraged dragon stormed off to her room and slammed the door. Several pictures on the walls tilted slightly as the slamming door made the walls shudder. However, the moment Lilac was in her room, the hounds and Natalya heard a curious sound. Lilac…began crying. Her sobs were faintly heard from inside the room. She had clearly flopped onto her bed and was now sobbing into her pillow to let out all her grief. Milla hugged her parents, still sobbing over what had happened.

"M-m-mommy? D-does Lilac h-hate us now?" she whimpered.

"Nonsense child…nonsense…" Lela said softly, "She's just a little angry that's all. I'm sure she'll calm down and apologize to us."

"I don't blame her for being upset…" Miguel said softly, "Some sneak photographed her and Natalya and is claiming it as "evidence" that she's "evil" and Carol talked our daughter into helping her play tricks on Timothy and hurt him, giving him more reasons to claim that she's bad. It must be horrible for her to be going through this…"

"I agree…especially since the public doesn't believe I'm actually good…" Natalya said coldly, "And Neera Li told me that I was released because of public sympathy…something's not right. Not right at all…I bet somebody forced Neera Li into releasing me. And then the photos…it was a set-up! A set-up and I allowed myself to fall for it!"

She got up and kicked over the coffee table in rage.

"My poor, special Lilac…what horrible person would want to do this to her?!" the dragon screeched.

"I don't know…I just don't know…" Miguel said grimly.

Natalya nodded. Whoever it was that was making Lilac look bad, she would make sure that the wicked person behind it would pay most dearly for daring to make her adopted daughter look evil. But who was it? Natalya had a feeling she should know…but at the same time, she had no idea…

* * *

_**Damn...I mean...DAMN! Memphis's plan is tearing Lilac's team apart...as well as the girl's reputation...**_

_**What on Avalice will happen next? Here's a hint...things aren't going to get any better...**_


	8. Chapter 8: Sinister Changes

_Chapter 8: Sinister Changes_

Lilac was lying on her bed, the top bunk of the bunk bed she and Carol shared, and she had her face buried into her pillow, her sobs muffled by the soft material. Her tears soaked the pillow as they rolled down her face. She cried and cried, feeling that she'd never be able to stop no matter how long she carried this on. It hardly seemed fair. She, Lilac the Dragon Girl, heroine of Avalice, had saved the world from Lord Brevon on two occasions and had stopped a raid that would have spoilt Christmas for everybody. And yet the world seemed determined not to show her any gratitude at all. Ever since the whole incident with the Dark Stone, it seemed as if the world was suddenly against her. It was amazing how easily one's reputation could be ruined. All Lilac had done was destroy part of a city and that hadn't even been of her own volition. Brevon and Natalya had used the stone on her and caused her to do this. But now Brevon was dead and Natalya had reformed and yet the world still seemed convinced that she was some evil force waiting to attack again. The news story she had seen on the television earlier had just ruined what was shaping up to be a good day. And to think she'd just won Shuigang's trust back! At least Dail still believed she was innocent but what did it matter when the world itself refused to believe she was a good soul? The dragon still continued to sob, taking her head out of her pillow so she could turn it over and soak the other side with her tears.

"Why?! WHY?!" the dragon howled, "Why won't the world believe that I'm not some evil monster?! WHY?! I've done far more good things for the world than bad! What more does this stupid planet need to believe that I'm good?! And why is somebody trying to ruin my reputation?! What have I ever done to deserve this?!"

She buried her face into her pillow again, sobbing into it once more. The dry side was now being soaked with her tears like the other side had.

"It's not fair! I love my world and I'd do anything to protect it…and this is how the world repays me?!" Lilac sobbed, "Maybe I should just stop trying to do anything good for this ungrateful planet! If this is how it's going to repay me then why bother protecting it?"

She was then interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Lilac? It's me, Natalya. Please can I come in?" came the soft voice of her former enemy.

"No Natalya, I'd like to be alone please." said Lilac, keeping her face in her pillow.

"Lilac dear, it's not very good of you to just shut yourself up and others out. You need some comfort. Please let me in." Natalya said kindly, "I'm your new mother now and I want to help you. Maybe I can help you the way Dawn would have helped you in a time like this."

The mention of her mother suddenly made Lilac feel a feeling she hadn't felt for a long time. The need to be looked after. Lilac wouldn't admit this to anybody but now, she found herself wanting to be mothered all of the sudden. It made sense since she'd let Natalya adopt her and she was technically her daughter now.

"OK…you can come in." Lilac said, wiping away her tears.

The door opened up and Natalya entered the bedroom. She took a moment to observe the bedroom as she stepped inside, noticing the bunk bed and single bed that were obviously for Lilac, Carol and Milla. It looked like a cosy room to be sleeping in every night. Much cosier than her cell back in the Royal Palace, that was for sure. Natalya walked over to the bunk bed and climbed up onto the top bunk to sit beside her adopted daughter. For a moment, Natalya felt a pleasant feeling inside herself. It was the kind of feeling that only a mother with a child could ever get. It felt good to have somebody to look after. The dragon even felt that caring for Lilac was much more pleasant then trying to kill her. Lilac didn't look at Natalya, her face still in her pillow.

"So what would Dawn have done if she was here right now?" Natalya asked curiously.

"She'd do many things to make me feel better. One of my favourites was when she would sit beside me and stroke my hair." Lilac explained.

"Would you like it if I stroked your hair?" the older dragon offered.

"Yes please. I always loved it when mom used to do it." the younger dragon said.

Natalya smiled and took one of Lilac's trademark tendrils into her hands. Slowly and softly, she ran her fingers up and down the scaly tendril. Lilac seemed to visibly relax as Natalya comforted her. A pleasant tingling began to spread through Lilac's tendril and to her head. It was one of the most pleasant feelings in the world and Lilac always enjoyed it whenever somebody stroked her hair.

"Oh that feels lovely...thank you." Lilac said contently.

"You're so very welcome dear." Natalya said softly, "I'd often do this to Dawn whenever she was upset just as she'd do this to me when I was upset. It feels good to have somebody to comfort for the fist time in a long time."

"Better than trying to kill people?"

"MUCH better than trying to kill people."

Natalya half-smiled at Lilac's remark. But then she became more solemn.

"How do you feel?" she asked, "Still upset about...that news story?"

"Yes..." Lilac muttered, her eyes already welling up with tears again but she fought them back, "It still sickens me that somebody photographed me and you together and is using it as "proof" that I'm "evil". I still bet Timothy's the one who took the photos...and now he's using Carol and Milla's antics against me too, accusing me of being responsible for them. And now because of that old windbag, the kingdoms are once again debating over who's side I'm on! Why can't those stupid people see that I'm good?! What need could they possibly have to doubt me after all I've done?!"

Natalya shook her head sadly. She was having very similar feelings and thoughts herself. She had redeemed herself and thrown away her life of crime and villainy and yet only Lilac and friends seemed to believe her. She knew what her newly adopted daughter was feeling and sympathized greatly with her. She continued stroking Lilac's tendril as if hoping she'd give it some kind of magic rub and somehow solve both their problems.

"In my case, people have many reasons to doubt me…" Natalya murmured, "After all, it's easier to build a bad reputation than a good one. Thanks to that scumbag Memphis, I've built myself a reputation that few are going to forget about. You though…you've done many things that deserve a good reputation. People shouldn't have any reason to doubt you at all, especially since I confessed that the business in Shang Mu was my fault. I suppose nobody takes what I say seriously given my shady character before…"

Lilac nodded, thinking that Natalya did indeed have some legitimate points.

"Oh Lilac…this whole business is my fault." Natalya sighed sadly, "If I'd never bothered to look for that stupid Dark Stone, none of this would have happened. You wouldn't have become a Dark Stone Dragon and wrecked half of Shang Mu and thus, you wouldn't be dealing with the seeds of doubt from the world around us. It's all my fault…and I understand if you don't want me in your life anymore because of it Lilac. I maybe your new mother now but I'll happily drop out of your life if you want me to. I suppose I deserve it after what I've done…"

"Natalya, don't blame yourself for what's going on." Lilac said, sitting up beside her foster mother, "As you pointed out, it's because of my horrible uncle that you went off the deep end. If he hadn't killed mom then you would never have done all of this. You'd have still been good and the Dark Stone would never have seen the light of day. Memphis is the one to blame for all this, not you. Which is why I seriously hope that he's dead now…"

"I suppose you have a point dear but still, I shouldn't have let Dawn's death get to me so badly…" the mauve-scaled dragon sighed, "I'm still at fault for taking her death so hard and going too far. It's partially my fault that you're going through this at the most. If Memphis is indeed dead now, I presume he's laughing at us from his grave…"

"Maybe." Lilac growled, "Well I'll give him something to laugh about. I'm going to once again, prove my innocence and find out who took the photos of me and you together in an attempt to make us look bad! I'll also show Timothy up for the paranoid, senile old fool he is! Then people will never doubt me again!" she declared.

"I sure hope you succeed darling." said Natalya softly.

"Me too." the teen-dragon said grimly.

She then thought of something.

"Oh Carol…" she whispered, "I…I kicked her out! I was in such a rage that I just kicked her out of my house! Oh gosh…she must be so upset right about now! I've gotta go find her, apologize to her and let her back in!"

"I think that's a great idea my child." said Natalya agreeably, "While it's understandable why you did what you did, me and the hounds agreed that you was a little too harsh on her. Carol didn't mean to give that old turtle more excuses to hate on you after all. She wasn't to know he was going to complain to the news about it."

"I know, and me and Carol both know that I had nothing to do with it so really, I had no reason to get so mad at her!" Lilac exclaimed, "I'm gonna go find her right now!"

Before she got up and left to find her best friend, she embraced her foster mother lovingly. Natalya embraced her back.

"Thank you for your comfort Natalya." Lilac whispered.

"You're more than welcome dear." Natalya whispered back, kissing the dragon gently on the forehead. She recalled seeing Dawn do this to Lilac when she was a baby and felt it fitting to do it to her now she was parenting the young dragon.

Lilac appreciated the kiss, immediately thinking of her late mother as Natalya did it. Then the two broke up the hug and Lilac quickly rushed out of the bedroom. Natalya watched her leave, glad to see that Lilac was not giving up on proving her innocence and how she was willing to make up for what she had done. She was more happy than ever that Lilac had allowed her to adopt her. It was a great honour to be the new mother of this amazing child. If only Dawn could see her wonderful daughter now…

Lilac ran down the stairs, almost tripping down them as she bolted down them, and ran towards the front door. She was quick to stop as the Bassett family watched her run by and she turned back to see them. Miguel, Lela and Milla were still sitting on the sofa together, the television still switched off, and they looked perplexed to see Lilac running through the room as she had done. It seemed awfully quick for her to turn from tears to suddenly running for the door. The dragon was quick to explain herself.

"Hey Bassetts. I'm…I'm sorry about earlier. I really am." she said solemnly, "I was just so angry that…that I lost control of myself and said things I didn't mean to say. I take back what I said earlier and I hope you three can forgive me for what I've done. I'm going to find Carol and bring her back here so that we can fix the damages that have been done. Can you…forgive me?"

The Bassett family stared at Lilac as if weighing up what she'd said and wondering how honest she was. The dragon put her hands behind her back sadly and looked down at the floor as if expecting them to be mad at her. Then Milla stood up from the sofa…and hugged Lilac warmly. The dragon was pleasantly surprised by the gesture and she returned it graciously.

"We forgive you." said Milla sweetly.

"It's quite common for young girls like you to get overly emotional, especially when things don't go your way." Lela said softly, "As appalling as your behaviour was, we can't say it was unwarranted. Given what you're going through lately, it's perfectly understandable as to why you'd blow a fuse and get so angry."

"We're very proud that you've recognized what you've done wrong and are willing to make up for it." Miguel said kindly, "We forgive you Lilac and we appreciate you coming to apologize to us first. Let's hope Carol's going to be as forgiving."

"I hope so too." Lilac murmured, "Thanks guys, I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome." said Milla brightly, "Hey Lilac, please can I come with you to find Carol?"

"Sure thing." the dragon replied, her face beaming, "Your excellent sense of smell is going to be very useful in finding Carol. Is it OK if Milla comes Mr. and Mrs. Bassett?" she asked, glancing at the parents.

"It's perfectly fine with us." Miguel replied, "Our darling Milla is very close to Carol just like she is to you so it'd be lovely for Carol to see both you and Milla together. Might make her more willing to forgive you and come back."

Lilac smiled and nodded.

"OK Milla, let's go find Carol!" the dragon declared.

The dragon and dog immediately scurried over towards the front door and opened it. They left the house, climbed down the rope ladder and began running off into the forest around them to find their feline friend. Milla was in the lead since she had the best sense of smell and would find Carol quicker. Lilac followed as her canine friend scampered on all fours, sniffing the air for any sign of Carol. As the two searched for their friend, they failed to realize that somebody was watching them. And that somebody was hiding behind the one place they could never have expected to find anybody hiding…behind the treehouse itself. The figure, dressed once again in red robes with a giant hood concealing his face, peered out from behind the base of the tree and watched as Lilac and Milla searched for Carol. He had no idea what they were doing but he decided to take advantage of it. Cackling menacingly to himself, Memphis glanced down at the energy conductor he had in his hand. It never failed to amuse him how because of the fact it was designed like a walking stick, nobody ever suspected for a minute what it really was. He then glanced back up at the two Avalicians. He didn't know who Milla was but he presumed she was connected to Lilac in some way. Close friend? Adopted sister? Just somebody helping her? It didn't matter. He recognized his niece straight away, even if he hadn't seen her since she was ten.

"You haven't changed a bit Lilac…" he murmured, "That's too bad…I'll have to fix that. And how lovely is it that she's just with some mangy mutt and nobody else? Ha, ha, ha…nobody will know what's about to happen."

He watched as Milla, her tail wagging furiously, ran off on all fours and headed deeper into the forest. Lilac followed her. He couldn't wait any longer. Memphis would have to follow them. He emerged from his hiding place and ran off after the two, moving at a surprising speed. Even his robes didn't slow him down. Memphis carried the traditional dragon trademark of being surprisingly fast. He wouldn't lose his victims. At the same time, he ran into some of the nearby growths and bushes that the forest provided just to make sure that Lilac wouldn't see him and the dog wouldn't smell him out and give him away. Running silently through the forest, keeping a close eye on Lilac and Milla, Memphis was determined not to lose them…

* * *

"CAROL! CAROOOOOOL!"

Lilac's voice echoed through the forest as she called out for her feline friend. She and Milla had been searching for a few minutes, almost half an hour to be precise, but the dragon could barely help but cry out Carol's name in hopes of finding her. Milla continued sniffing the air, hoping to find where Carol was by picking up her scent. It had been a bit hard to keep track of Carol's scent due to the rather lush smell of the grass beneath her feet and the trees all around. It didn't help how there was a slight breeze blowing as well. It was like trying to pinpoint one certain fish in a vast ocean, near impossible to do and made harder by nature itself. But the dog refused to give up. She wanted Carol back and she was not going to give up on Lilac like this, not after the dragon had willingly asked her to come and help. She bent down on all fours once again and began sniffing the grass. Lilac hung back a little, still calling out Carol's name.

"CAROL!" she cried out one more time.

No answer. Sighing loudly, Lilac thumped a nearby tree.

"Oh where could she be?" the dragon moaned, "Why did I kick her out?! I bet we'll never see Carol again because of me!"

"Don't be silly Lilac, of course we'll see Carol again!" Milla cried enthusiastically.

"But what if she doesn't want to after the way I've treated her?" Lilac asked, "I yelled at her, called her an idiot and told her to get out. Maybe she doesn't ever wanna see me again…"

The very thought made Lilac tremble with anxiety and sadness. Where would Carol go now she was no longer a resident of her treehouse? Would she live on the streets? In the wilderness? Would she die out there with no proper place to live? It was possible and it would be all Lilac's fault. The world really would have a reason to hate her now, sending her own best friend to a cruel and lonely death somewhere. Milla stopped sniffing and turned to face Lilac.

"Lilac, Carol would love to see you again." she said kindly, "She'd love to receive your apology and come back to you so we can make up for what she and I have done. I forgave you for getting mad so Carol will forgive you too."

"I sure hope so…" Lilac mumbled.

The dragon wasn't so sure that the wildcat would be so forgiving. Carol had stuck by Lilac's side through thick and thin. Even after leaving her to battle the forces of Lord Brevon and try to rescue Torque in Brevon's Thermal Base alone, the wildcat had come back for her and stayed by her side. When Lilac had been corrupted by the Dark Stone, Carol had tried to help her, even proclaiming how much she loved her best friend to try and calm her down and dampen the stone's power. Such a loyal, caring friend and this was how Lilac had treated her. Even if Carol had unintentionally added salt to an already horrific wound on Lilac's reputation, she still had no right to kick her out of the house and send her away. Lilac was beginning to wish she had some kind of device that would let her undo the events of the past few minutes. She just wanted Carol back! If only Torque was here, he'd be able to help! He'd have some kind of fancy gizmo or gadget that would help find Carol! But he wasn't here. It was just Lilac and Milla and they were getting nowhere fast.

Then Lilac suddenly heard the bushes rustle slightly. Her head snapped around and she saw them moving a little. The bushes stopped rustling as if realizing they were suddenly being watched. The dragon narrowed her eyes. Had it been her imagination or…had she seen something…move? And had she seen a flash of red? Maybe it was Carol's trademark red neckerchief, a souvenir she had kept from the Red Scarves after leaving them. Carol's red neckerchief would stand out in the darkness of the woods. Lilac couldn't help but let her curiosity guide her towards the bush.

"Milla stay here, I'm going to look over there." she ordered, "Keep sniffing and see if Carol's nearby."

"OK." said Milla obediently.

The dog stayed put, still sniffing the ground as Lilac ventured towards the bushes. The dragon didn't dare let her hopes get up too high. Carol could well be behind the bush but it was equally as likely that she wasn't. She'd check it out and then leave. Lilac approached the bushes and then began pawing through them, her eyes fixed through the leaves. She could still make out something red as she searched inside. The red thing seemed to shrink back a little, clearly afraid of being seen. Lilac recoiled, wondering if she was frightening whatever was in there.

"Carol? Is…is that you?" the dragon asked.

The thing didn't reply. Instead it reacted. It leapt out of the bush as if fired from a cannon and it aimed something at Lilac. The dragon screamed and leapt back, worried that the thing was trying to hit her on the head. She had just enough time to register that the object pointing at her was some sort of cane before the thing struck. A cloud of purple gas suddenly sprayed out of the cane and drifted into Lilac's face. The dragon coughed, accidentally breathing some of it in through her nose and mouth. The spray had been small and had quickly died out. As Lilac spluttered with a fit of coughing, the thing with the cane suddenly turned on its heels and ran away, leaving a trail of leaves behind. Lilac hadn't seen the thing leave for her eyes were closed and she was hacking violently, her coughs ragged and sickly sounding. Milla heard her friend's coughing and she scampered over to see what was wrong. She saw Lilac coughing but nothing else. Maybe she'd just swallowed a leaf or something. The dog patted Lilac on the back to try and ease her coughing. The dragon let out one last cough before clearing her throat and patting her chest softly.

"Are you alright?" Milla asked.

"I'm OK…" Lilac croaked, "Something just sprayed purple gas at me. I think it was some kind of defence mechanism hidden in the forest or somebody who felt threatened."

"Was it poison gas?" the dog asked worriedly.

"No, it seems harmless." the dragon reassured her, "I don't feel funny or anything. I feel fine, aside from my throat being hoarse after so much coughing."

"OK." Milla answered, "Anyway, I'm not entirely sure, but I think Carol might be this way." she pointed to a wooded area that had some old and crooked trees that barely had any leaves on them, "Her scent was coming from over there when I found it again."

"Let's go and look then." Lilac said brightly, "I hope Carol's OK when we find her."

Milla nodded agreeably and ran off with Lilac chasing after her. As soon as the girls had left, Memphis emerged from the nearby bushes and watched them leave. He patted his energy conductor softly as if it was some bizarre pet that had done a good job for him. His face curled into a wicked smile that radiated joy and delight, in his own twisted, evil way.

"Pumped full of a small dose of Dark Stone Energy…Lilac will soon become the monster that the world thinks she is." Memphis purred, "The small dose will break her mind…but she won't be turning monstrous. Oh no, I don't want my niece to destroy the world. I wonder what kind of evil she'll do when the energy's effects kick in?"

He grinned to himself, already excitedly anticipating what was going to happen next. His niece's reputation would be in more flames than it was now…

* * *

The silence of the forest was shattered by the heart-wrenching sound of somebody bawling uncontrollably. Sitting by a tree, her head in her knees and her arms hugging her legs was a fifteen year old wildcat with a red neckerchief and black fingerless gloves and green and black biker boots. It was Carol. She had run deep into the forest after being sent away by Lilac and had done nothing but slump against an old and withering oak tree and sob her heart out. She was very upset over what had happened and deeply sorry for what she had done. How could she have been so stupid?! Why did she pick on Timothy?! She should have known the turtle would have sued her antics as an excuse to further dislike Lilac and demonize her reputation! She should have known! But she didn't, and this had been the result. Expelled from Lilac's life and home. She had never been so sad in her life. She had loved Lilac and was heartbroken that her best friend and sent her away.

"Oh Lilac I'm so, so sorry!" Carol whimpered, "I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I...I hope that if we meet again...that you can forgive me! That's all I want..."

Tears rolled down her cheeks as Carol continued to sob. Her shoulders heaved up and down in time with her sobbing. Right now, she felt like she could cry forever and still have tears left to cry. Only being allowed back in the treehouse would stop her sobbing now. Then suddenly, Carol heard two pairs of footsteps coming towards her. One pair sounded like booted feet and the other sounded like paw pads on grass. The tomboy feline leapt up onto her feet, her heart leaping with hope for she had a feeling she knew who the feet belonged to. Two figures emerged through a bush that was missing nearly all of its leaves and they stood before Carol, staring happily at her. Carol smiled back. She had guessed correctly, the feet had belonged to Lilac and Milla! They had come looking for her! Maybe Lilac was willing to forgive her. Carol wiped her tears away.

"Lilac!" she exclaimed.

"Carol!" Lilac cried back, "Oh thank goodness we've found you!"

"I managed to sniff you out and find you!" Milla declared.

"I'm glad you came for me." Carol said appreciatively, "But...I'm not sure if I'm ready to see you yet Lilac."

It was a strange change of mood for the wildcat. Being young, he didn't have full control over her emotions and at times, often didn't understand what she was feeling. She was sad and heartbroken a moment ago but now Lilac was here, she was suddenly angry and spiteful. Lilac could see this and stepped forward.

"Now Carol, I know what you're thinking..." she began.

"Do you realize how upset you made me?!" Carol cried out angrily, "I've been your best friend and stood by you through thick and thin and you repay me by throwing me out due to something that wasn't entirely my fault?! I guess you're here to rag on me some more! I bet you don't wanna see me ever again!"

"No Carol, that's not it at all!" Lilac protested, "I'm here to apologize! I came all this way looking for you to apologize for kicking you out!"

"Yeah sure you are..." the wildcat muttered.

"I mean it! Please Carol...I want you back! I've made a mistake and I want to make up for it!" the dragon cried, her eyes welling up with tears, "Please don't shun me...please let me apologize! That's what I'm here for..."

The wildcat's expression softened. Lilac's words sounded quite genuine. She did seem to be genuinely sorry for what she had done. How could she stay mad at Lilac after that? Carol couldn't. Not after she had been hoping that Lilac would forgive her for what she had done and wanted to come back to the treehouse.

"I...I believe you." Carol said slowly, "I'm...I'm really sorry Lilac. Sorry for giving the old turtle more reasons to hate you...and sorry for being so bitter to you."

"And I'm sorry I lost my temper and kicked you out." Lilac replied, "I had no right. It wasn't your fault that people are doubting me again. After all, there was the mysterious photographer who photographed me and Natalya together. If you hadn't done anything to Timothy, my reputation would still be up for debate from that photo alone. You didn't mean to add more gas to the flames. You didn't even intend it. And that's why I'm deeply sorry for throwing you out. Are we friends still?"

Carol smiled sweetly at her draconian companion. This was what she loved about Lilac. Always willing to apologize for her wrong-doings and always putting others before herself, it was hard not to like her. Carol spread her arms out wide and then closed them around Lilac, pulling her into a warm embrace that signified how much she forgave her best friend.

"Best friends." Carol whispered.

"Thank you Carol." Lilac whispered back.

"Yay! You and Carol are buddies again!" Milla squealed with joy.

"Yep and we're NEVER gonna be separated again!" Lilac declared, "We're sticking together no matter what from now on!"

"That's what I like to hear!" Carol cried, "So, any ideas on how to tell the world they've got the wrong idea about you, again?"

The dragon thought for a moment.

"I suppose you could confess to the world that your assaulting of Timothy was none of my doing. Tell everybody that you and Milla acted alone and that I had nothing to do with it." she suggested, "Then again, Timothy may well just accuse you two of defending me. But maybe the rest of the world will believe you two."

"They better otherwise I'm gonna break their noses..." Carol growled.

"As for the photo of me and Natalya, we can tell the world that Natalya isn't evil anymore and we can prove it." Lilac suggested, "But how do we..."

Then suddenly, a sharp pain flared through Lilac's head and the dragon cried out in surprise and agony. The headache had come so suddenly that Lilac wasn't sure what had happened. Sudden pains and illnesses often come unannounced but this was far too sudden to be a normal headache. She gripped her head with her palms and wailed as the pain grew worse. Carol and Milla watched in horror, wondering what to do.

"Lilac?! What's wrong?" asked Carol.

"Have you got a headache?" asked Milla worriedly.

"My head's killing me!" Lilac screamed, "It feels like it's on fire! Help me!"

Carol and Milla gathered around Lilac and tried to comfort her by stroking her back gently. Lilac's head slumped forward but she still had enough energy left to stand. It wasn't bad enough to bring her down on her knees. She began easing her temples and cranium, stroking them softly with her fingers. It was never a good idea to rub your head too vigorously or you could make the pain worse. It seemed to work for the pain was going and Lilac lowered her hands. Her head was still facing the ground below. Carol and Milla stopped rubbing Lilac and stood in front of her worriedly. Was she alright? What had happened? Milla began to suspect the gas that Lilac had been sprayed with earlier was responsible. Was it poisoning her? They'd have to get her home quickly if it was.

"L-L-Lilac?" Carol stammered, "Are...are you...alright?"

"Yes...I'm fine..." Lilac said in a strangely slithering tone of voice, "In fact...I feel MORE than fine...I feel magnificent!"

"Um...OK...?" Carol said wearily, "Are you sure Lilac? You're speaking in a weird voice..."

"I said I'm fine!" Lilac snapped viciously, her head flicking upwards and glaring at Carol, "Don't you dare doubt my well-being!"

Carol and Milla both recoiled in fright. There was something wrong with Lilac. The headache had been the start of it. Lilac was suddenly speaking in a more sinister tone of voice that sounded uncharacteristic for her. There was something else too. Her eyes had turned red! Her beautiful magenta eyes were now the colour of blood. They radiated darkness and cruelty. There was none of Lilac's friendly, laid back nature in them. It was as if she had been possessed by the devil himself. To add more to the image of Satan, Lilac even smiled a sinister, devil's smile that looked unnatural on her pretty face. Milla began to tremble.

"Lilac? W-w-w-what's u-u-up w-w-with y-your e-eyes?" she whimpered, "T-t-th-they're red! And y-y-you're talking i-i-in a c-c-creepy voice!"

"Am I scaring you Milla? Aww...that's too bad...I'm sorry." Lilac purred, her voice almost a haunting lullaby that was meant to disturb the listener rather than put them to sleep, "When I rule all of Avalice, you won't be afraid anymore."

"Rule all of...Lilac, what the heck's got into you?!" Carol shrieked, "Why are you talking like this?! Why are your eyes red?! Why are you acting all Little Miss Creepypants?!"

"It depends on your definition of creepy Carol..." the corrupted dragon purred sinisterly, "In my eyes...this is normal. I'm not seeing anything creepy about my behaviour...but for you...I guess it is creepy. But you'll get used to it when I take over Avalice and have you and Milla as my loyal servants."

The cat and dog gaped in horror at Lilac. Take over Avalice?! Make the two her servants?! Thinking her sudden change in behaviour is "normal"?! What on Avalice had happened to her?! Milla remembered the gas that Lilac had been sprayed with. Had it turned her evil? It must have. It couldn't have been anything else. Lilac had been fine until the spray of gas had got her. But how had it turned her evil?

"Lilac! That gas you got sprayed with! It must be making you evil!" Milla declared.

"Gas? What gas?" asked Carol curiously.

"Lilac started coughing after looking into a bush earlier and she said she was coughing because somebody sprayed her with purple gas." the puppy explained.

"Maybe that gas is why Lilac's acting so weird..." the cat deduced, "Well we're gonna get it out of her before she goes even more crazy!"

"I don't think you two will be doing anything..." said Lilac coldly, her voice like ice.

"And why not?" Carol demanded.

Lilac didn't answer her feline friend's question, allowing a sense of dread and unease to fall over her and Milla. The dragon was getting creepier by the second. Carol and Milla braced themselves, knowing that Lilac could be dangerous now she was like this. At the same time, she was unpredictable. They immediately tuned their senses, keeping an eye out for any sign of movement that would tell them Lilac was about to do something horrible. But not even the cat and dog's sharp senses could prepare them for what happened next. Lilac lunged towards them at a speed that defied belief. The two knew that dragons were fast but Lilac seemed to defy how fast dragons could move. She was a blur as she whooshed towards the cat and dog and drove her heel straight into Carol's face. The wildcat was thrown down onto his side, her head spinning from the kick. It was like being smacked by a steel club. Milla tried to react but just before she could summon a shield, Lilac suddenly positioned herself behind the puppy and grabbed her into a headlock. Her arm closed around Milla's neck and her other hand positioned itself on her head, holding on tightly to her ginger hair. The dog cried out in fright and tried to get free. The dragon held on tightly, refusing to let go. Milla knew Lilac was strong but somehow, she seemed even stronger than usual. Had the gas made her faster and stronger as well as given her a personality change? The dog knew that her friend had just become more dangerous than ever before because of it. Carol picked herself up, her cheek still throbbing. She gasped in horror at Lilac and Milla. The dragon was holding Milla in a position that allowed her to snap the poor girl's neck. One quick flick of her hands and Milla would be finished. She would have no chance.

"Because somebody's going to have their life cut short unless you comply with my needs!" Lilac snarled, answering Carol's earlier question at last.

"H-h-help m-m-me!" Milla whimpered.

"Lilac, please let her go!" Carol exclaimed helplessly, "You're scaring her! Look at her! You wouldn't do this to Milla! Please let her go!"

"I'll do so under one condition…" the corrupted heroine purred, her voice almost seductive in tone, "You do as I say and only what I say…if you do, I'll let Milla live. Please comply…I don't want to waste a perfectly good slave."

Carol swallowed hard. She knew that she was making a big mistake. She couldn't just comply to Lilac's whim now that the dragon was all crazy and evil! She'd be helping Lilac ruin her own reputation! On the other hand, she couldn't just let Milla die. She was only a child! Her life was not worth sacrificing under any circumstance. Nobody should ever die so young. Also, Carol reasoned with herself that she could save Milla later. Better to accept and save her later than decline and never save her at all. The wildcat nodded.

"I'll do what you say. Just please don't kill Milla!" Carol begged.

"You're doing as you're told. Milla being spared is your reward for your cooperation." Lilac crooned, "Now then, we're all going to walk over to Shang Tu. You two are going to be my hostages. I'm going to tell The Magister to stand down and hand the throne of Shang Tu over to me. If he doesn't…then I might have to wipe blood off my hands later."

The statement made Carol and Milla's stomachs churn in disgust. Their friend was well and truly messed up in the head now. She would NEVER threaten to kill them like this! Milla began to cry tears of fright. She was scared of this new Evil Lilac and wanted the good-hearted, heroic Lilac back. She was about to speak but Lilac promptly slapped her in the jaw.

"Shut up snivelling you wimp!" she growled, "Be a good dog and stop crying or I'll put you down! Got it?!"

"Y-y-yes L-Lilac!" Milla whimpered, trying her best not to cry anymore.

"Good! Now Carol, start walking." Lilac barked, "You will not turn around. You will not attempt to save Milla. If you so much as look over your shoulder, I'll kill her. You are to face forwards and walk on until we reach the Royal Palace. If you comply, then you won't have a dead body on your hands and I get to have two slaves for when I begin my life as the new Royal Magister of Shang Tu."

"Whatever you say…" Carol muttered.

She turned around and started walking off, heading in the direction of Shang Tu. The cat knew where it was from the forests of Dragon Valley so she needed no prompting from Lilac. Carol led the way with Lilac following closely behind her. She was still holding onto Milla, her grip still tight as if afraid of losing her. Milla decided not to try and wriggle free. Better to stay alive and escape later than risk it now and die straight away. She was very frightened as she, Lilac and Carol headed off to Shang Tu. What would her mum and dad say? They would be horrified if they saw what had happened to Lilac and how she was acting now! Would they think she'd turned traitor? Hopefully not. Milla didn't want her parents believing that Lilac was now legitimately evil. Carol herself was in utter torment. What a rotten day this was turning out for her! First her harmless bit of banter ends up biting her in the backside and now her best friend had turned evil! And just after letting her back into the treehouse no less! Carol fought back the urge to cry. Lilac would get irritated by it and threaten Milla's life again. Deep inside, she was crying rainfalls. Her poor best friend…she had been trying to fix her damaged image. And now, thanks to some purple gas…Lilac was just damaging her own image herself now. Avalice would never, ever forgive her…

As the girls were led away from Dragon Valley, Memphis watched them with great delight. He had done it. He had used enough of the Dark Stone's energy to corrupt Lilac, but NOT turn her into a destruction craving monster. He had corrupted his loathsome niece and now she was going to carry out the events that would play into his hands most beautifully.

"Excellent…and now I standby and wait…as Lilac tarnishes her own image under her own volition…" Memphis purred sadistically, "And then she'll be arrested or worse…and I'll be able to rule this tainted world without any interferences…"

* * *

General Gong and Neera Li heaved their heavy bones towards The Magister's throne room. They were in big trouble and they both knew it. The sheer anger in The Magister's tone of voice had been enough for them to know that they weren't coming to the throne room to be given any praise or to be congratulated on their hard work. They were going to receive a severe dressing down from the firm and sometimes cold royal. Neither of them were looking forward to it.

The Magister himself had seen the news story that Lilac and friends had seen earlier. He of course, didn't believe for a minute that Lilac was doing anything dodgy, nor did he believe that Lilac was behind Carol and Milla's assault on Timothy Turtle. He knew that Lilac would never tell her own friends to attack an old man just for bad-mouthing her. He also knew that Lilac and Natalya weren't conspiring or plotting anything for Lilac was the Heroine of Avalice and Natalya had reformed. But what he was angry about was the fact Natalya had been released. He had not given any such order and now he was furious with Gong and Neera Li. He had ordered them to come and see him immediately and now he waited for them to arrive.

He briefly admired the view outside of his balcony. Shang Tu was beginning to recuperate from the damages done to it two weeks ago. The city was looking more like its old self again with few buildings left to fix and even fewer roads with cracks and holds to fill up. Funny to think that the woman he had kept prisoner for those two weeks had been the one behind the damages done to the city and yet now, she was well-behaved and gave nobody any grief whilst behind bars. Despite being angered at Natalya being freed without his approval, he couldn't help but wonder what she was doing now. Making friends with Lilac? Trying to make amends for her crimes? Helping to hunt down the Red Scarves? Either one had a pleasant thought to it. He was interrupted from his thoughts by a heavy knock at the door. Gong obviously. Only he could fail to knock on a door without sounding like he was trying to make it fall down. He invited them in with the single two words "Come in". The cold and serious Magister kept his back turned as the general and priestess entered the room. The two pandas approached The Magister nervously as if afraid he was going to explode and they bowed down to him. The Magister did not turn around.

"So you two. Care to explain why Natalya has been released without my approval?" the Avalician asked, his deep voice hard and serious.

"Forgive us…Magister…but we…we can't tell you!" Gong whimpered.

"And why not?" The Magister asked grimly.

"We just can't…we're sorry Magister but we're not allowed to say…" Neera Li murmured.

The hard, purple eyes of The Magister narrowed as he turned around to face his two loyal servants. He was more furious than ever at the two. Gong and Neera Li understood his frustration. If only they could tell him that somebody had threatened to shoot them unless they released Natalya! But they feared being killed in their sleep by the mysterious man, a threat they knew he would easily be able to back up. They couldn't tell him.

"So you released a well-known criminal, one whom the public isn't entirely convinced has reformed…and you cannot tell me?" The Magister said crossly, "Do you realize what this means you two? You're going to stir up controversy throughout the whole kingdom! The populace could accuse me of staging a conspiracy and you two would be at fault for it! You will tell me why Natalya has been released prematurely otherwise I may have to fire you two for the good of the people. And I do NOT want to have to send away my two best soldiers…"

The Avalician whose face was always shrouded in shadow, folded his arms and glared at Gong and Neera, waiting for an answer. The two pandas looked at each other and they both came to the same conclusion. They couldn't keep it a secret any longer. They had to tell The Magister. After all, the Robed Man wouldn't know this would he? They could always tell him what the Robed Man had said and The Magister would make doubly sure that their lives would be in good hands. If he didn't make it known that he knew about the Robed Man, then the mysterious Avalician would never know their leader had been told about him. They both agreed that they had to tell The Magister. It was for the good of everybody in the kingdom. Sighing, they looked up at their leader.

"OK…we'll tell you…" Gong began.

But before he could breathe a single word about what had happened this morning, the doors suddenly burst open and in strolled Lilac, Carol and Milla. Strolled however, was not the right word for how Carol and Milla were entering the room. More like _hauled _into the room. Lilac had both of them wrapped in a headlock, one under each arm, and her hands were positioned right under their chins as she dragged them inside. She could snap both their necks at once if she wanted or even just strangle them both to death. Carol and Milla stared fearfully at the gobsmacked Magister and pandas as their corrupted friend hauled them towards the trio. Lilac had a sinister smile on her face, something that made Neera Li and General Gong adopt battle ready stances without needing any other reason to do so. The evil smile told them the worst. Lilac had presumably gone rogue and now had Carol and Milla clasped under her arms. The Magister's serious eyes widened at the sight of the heroine trio. What on Avalice was going on?! He noticed Lilac's red eyes. They weren't a good sign at all.

"Dragon blood…what is the meaning of this?" he asked.

"Oh nothing much Magister darling…" Lilac purred, "Just a little change in management for Shang Tu that's all…"

"How did you get in here?!" Gong demanded.

"And why are you holding Carol and Milla by the throats?" Neera demanded, itching to fire an ice beam at Lilac.

"I broke down the door and beat up your guards." Lilac sniffed, "And I'm holding them by the throats because I have one simple demand. You hand over the throne of Shang Tu…or you will have two dead bodies to clean up."

She then tightened their grip on Carol and Milla's necks, threatening to strangle them both to death. The cat and dog tried to cry out but they couldn't. They fought desperately for air as they felt Lilac's strong hands tighten on their necks. The Magister, Gong and Neera stared in horror at what was happening before them. Why was Lilac doing this? And why did she want to take over Shang Tu? And what could they do to stop her? Carol and Milla cried spluttering cries, begging for the three to help them. They saw their frightened faces and knew that they were in a difficult situation. Let them die? Or give the traitor what she wanted…?

* * *

_**Lilac's...turned...EVIL?! 0_0 Oh noes, how on Earth will our heroes save her from the nightmare she's creating?! Tune in next time as we enter Avalice's Darkest Day...**_


	9. Chapter 9: The Darkest Day

_Chapter 9: The Darkest Day_

There are many people in the world who have days where they feel on top of the world and that everything is going their way. It is a feeling shared only by a select few and on many different days. Memphis was one of the ones experiencing such feelings now. He was beginning to feel like the world was his and that he was on top of everything. It was amazing to believe that he'd been inactive for six whole years and now he was back in business and carrying out his nefarious crimes once again, he was already well on the way to getting what he wanted. He just had to thank this Lord Brevon person for giving him such an opportunity given he and Natalya had supposedly been the ones responsible for Lilac being corrupted by the Dark Stone and wrecking a large portion of Shang Mu. If it hadn't been for him and his ex-girlfriend, Memphis wouldn't be carrying out his nefarious plan right now and he couldn't be more thankful to them for presenting him the perfect opportunity to get what he wanted.

With his hood still up and concealing his face, Memphis strode towards Timothy's house as if he not just owned the house, but the entire forest around it. Very soon, he would own more than anybody could ever hope to own when his plan reached the climax. Memphis approached the door and knocked on it politely. The door opened up and standing before him was Timothy Turtle himself. He once again, didn't look awfully pleased to be seeing Memphis. This was the man who was making him demonize the reputation of the very Avalicians he worshipped after all. He hadn't enjoyed accusing Lilac of what Carol and Milla had done to him earlier, especially as he had done so on live TV. He could imagine the world over seeing the news story and hearing him accusing Lilac of trying to insult his dignity by sending her friends to prank him. Although he believed that Lilac had been responsible, he hadn't been happy to make the accusation without proof that Lilac was responsible. He also didn't like how the photos he had taken of Lilac and Natalya hugging each other were going to be featured on the news too. He knew that Natalya was no saint but like some people, he had secretly believed the rumours that she had reformed. Timothy loved dragons to the point where he believed there was no such thing as an evil dragon. Unfortunately, Memphis had made him doubt his beliefs. He was the prime example of evil, and he was a dragon. If there was one dragon who deserved to be demonized, it was him.

"Oh hi Memphis." Timothy muttered, "Let me guess, all's going according to plan am I right?"

He stepped aside as Memphis strode into the house and sat himself down onto his sofa without even waiting to be invited in. Timothy sat down on a seat facing him, waiting for his evil master to begin talking.

"It most certainly is." Memphis gloated, pulling his hood down as if relieved he could finally show his face again, "I followed Lilac and Natalya back to some scrawny, derelict treehouse in the middle of the forest and listened in as they watched the news on their TV. People are doubting my niece's allegiance again."

Timothy's eyes widened in surprise at Memphis as if he'd said something stupid. The red-scaled dragon raised an eyebrow in wonder.

"What? Was it something I said?" he asked.

"Niece? Are you telling me that Lilac…is your niece?" the turtle gasped.

"Yes she is. Why?"

"You mean to tell me, that you're perfectly willing to demonize your own flesh and blood, just to get what you want?!" Timothy cried out in disbelief, "Memphis…I knew you was a scoundrel but this is just barbaric! How could you do this to your own family?!"

"I never really liked her much anyway." Memphis sighed, "And besides, she's the daughter of my short-sighted brother and his soft as a pillow wife. Those two made me their enemy and they paid for it with their lives."

"So you killed her parents?" the old turtle gasped, "Then…why not just kill Lilac? Not that I want you to of course but I'm just curious."

Memphis nodded as if thinking his reptilian accomplice had a fair point. He could just kill Lilac if he wanted to rule Avalice without anybody getting in his way. But he had his reasons for sparing her.

"If I'm to be terribly honest, I don't really relish the thought of killing children." the dragon admitted, "I may not have liked Lilac much when I saw her but still, I can't really bring myself to murder a child in cold blood."

"Yet you can murder her parents…" Timothy growled.

"Killing an adult is not the same as killing a child." Memphis said, a slight edge to his voice, "And besides, Dawn and Stephen refused to see things my way so they had to pay for it. Lilac…I had hoped that after killing the parents, I could take her under my wing and raise her as my own. What a marvellous weapon she could have been…she could have embraced my vision of a perfect world...but the child caught me in the act and ran away and I never saw her again until now. And yet despite not being raised by me, she's still playing a part in my plans beautifully."

"I guess you've pumped her full of Dark Stone Energy at last then?" asked Timothy.

"I have. I sprayed some of it into her and she inhaled it." the Avalician criminal crowed, "It's amazing how differently the Dark Stone's energy seems to work in energy form. As a gem, it was already powerful and could corrupt with a single touch. In energy form, it's powerful enough to corrupt somebody no matter how pure they are. I imagine the stone's energy must be playing off of the negative emotions we've been giving Lilac. Anger, anxiety and despair from her reputation being in flames. Enough to drive anybody insane. Of course, I couldn't give her too much energy otherwise she'd become demonic and monstrous. The stone's energy works differently depending on the doses. A small dose will mess up the mind, a large dose will mess up everything else. We only want Lilac's mind to be messed up of course so a small dose is what she got. And thanks to the negative emotions we've built up in her, it worked straight away. Just as I'd planned..."

"And what do you intend to do with the rest of the Dark Stone's energy?" the Avalician turtle questioned.

"Keep it locked up safely in my energy conductor." Memphis said grimly, glancing down at his energy conductor cane, "We can't let the energy go anywhere otherwise we may have a few Dark Stone dragons to deal with."

"And how do we know the Dark Stone's energy won't just turn Lilac into a monster like it did two weeks ago anyway?" Timothy added curiously.

"The dose I gave her isn't enough to transform her body. Remember, a small dose will only corrupt the mind. She'll be fine…aside from a corrupted mind of course." Memphis sneered, "Now then, Lilac is taking her friends over to Shang Tu. A fitting place since that kingdom was the only kingdom that believed Lilac from the start. How horrifying must it feel for them to see the one Avalician they trusted suddenly turn on them?"

Memphis chuckled, taking delight in such a thought. Timothy however, seemed a little adamant about it. His eyes narrowed hatefully at the dragon from behind his over-sized spectacles. His eyes were like blue pools of anger.

"I honestly don't know why I agreed to this…" he sighed, "It's bad enough that you're asking me to hate on the very creatures I worship but now I hear that Lilac is your niece and that you killed her parents, the father being your own brother for heaven's sake! Had I know you was a dragon killer Memphis, I'd never have agreed to your plans! I want a dragon on the throne of a kingdom as much as any dragon lover…but now I think I'm helping to put the WRONG dragon on the throne! I refuse to work for a dragon who kills other dragons and does terrible things to another dragon for his own benefit! Memphis, I'm afraid that I no longer wish to participate in your evil, evil schemes! I'm going to march outside and expose you to the world and then you'll wish you hadn't recruited me in this diabolical scheme of yours!"

The dragon's cold, yellow eyes fixed on Timothy as if trying to paralyze him. Before the turtle could get out of his seat, Memphis whipped out his flintlock pistol and pointed it straight at his head. Timothy screamed in terror and quickly withdrew his head and limbs, leaving his frightened shell to shake in terror on the chair. His defence mechanism wouldn't save him as Memphis could easily stick the pistol down the hole in the shell where his head came out and finish him off. To prove this, Memphis even stood up and pointed the barrel of the pistol down where Timothy's head had retracted. One simple pull of the trigger and the turtle's head would end up making a mess inside his own shell.

"I'm terribly sorry Timothy, what was that?" the wicked dragon purred, "I must have been hearing things...but did you just say that you was going to walk out on me and expose me to the world? I hope I heard that wrong..."

Timothy gulped, his shell still trembling.

"Y-y-y-yes s-s-sir! Y-y-y-you heard w-w-wrong!" he whimpered, his voice echoing from inside his shell, "I-I-I d-d-didn't s-s-say that!"

"Good." Memphis crooned, "I thought I was hearing things."

Timothy's head slowly emerged from inside the shell as Memphis put the pistol away. He knew that Memphis had heard him perfectly and was being overly sarcastic but he knew it was better that his boss did this instead of shooting him here and now. It was best not to get on his boss's bad side again after that. Like it or not, he'd serve Memphis without any further defiance.

"Now let's forget about this nonsense and move onto the next stage of our plan." Memphis purred, "You get out there and find a news crew so you can gloat to the world on how you were "right" that dragons are evil and Lilac is as evil as you claim. When the time is right, I shall go to Shang Tu and take away Lilac's Dark Stone energy. And leave her at the mercy of the populace as they demand her punishment for what she's done."

"Yes sir. No problem..." Timothy muttered, his limbs and head fully extending back out of his shell.

He picked up his cane and began to walk slowly out of his house, leaving Memphis alone to wait for him to return. The dragon just smiled as his reluctant friend hobbled on out of the house. He knew that Timothy would be very useful in his plans and the turtle was proving right now just how useful he was. But Memphis knew that the dragon-loving Avalician would have to go soon. He was too dangerous to keep around. Timothy could try and squeal on him and ruin everything for him. When Timothy had outlived his usefulness, Memphis would make sure that the turtle was put out of his misery. That way, Timothy wouldn't be able to cause any problems for him later down the line. Now the turtle had gone, Memphis had one thing left to do. He pulled out a mobile phone from his robe pocket and dialled a number. He put the phone to his ear and waited until somebody picked up on the other end.

"Hello, Red Scarves? It's Memphis. I have a job for you all to do..."

* * *

Meanwhile in the Shang Tu Royal Palace, the corrupted Lilac the Dragon Girl was still standing before The Magister, General Gong and Neera Li, her hands closing ever tighter on Carol and Milla's throats and threatening to throttle them to death. It still amazed the two captives that Lilac was so strong. They knew she was powerful but to be in her hands and have her strangling them now, they realized that they couldn't possibly have realized how strong their draconian ally was. Carol and Milla cried out feebly, their voices refusing to sound anything remotely natural and words struggling to come to them as their air supply was slowly but steadily diminishing. The three Avalicians before them could only watch helplessly, wondering what to do. They couldn't just give the throne of Shang Tu over to Lilac! But they couldn't let her murder her own friends in cold blood either. Neera Li kept her sceptre pointed at Lilac.

"I don't know what's gotten into you…but I suggest you let Carol and Milla go and stop this nonsense!" she ordered, "We won't give you the throne of Shang Tu!"

"Please Lilac, cut it out! This isn't you!" cried Gong feebly, "You're not a crazy maniac who wants to take over our kingdom! And you're certainly no killer!"

"Oh really? Then why don't I see Lord Brevon walking around, still breathing like we are?" Lilac sneered, "Oh right. Because I killed him! And I'm gonna kill these two if you don't give me what I want now!"

"We cannot do that dragon blood…" The Magister murmured grimly, "That would go against the laws of the kingdom. We cannot just relinquish our titles to a mad woman like you."

"Really now? Shame on you…I never knew you were so selfish Magister." Lilac sneered, her voice dripping with mockery, "How could you let these two innocent kids die just to keep your decadent place? The kingdom will be so angry with you. I can see the headlines now! "Royal Magister allows two children to die due to his own selfishness!" You don't want that now do you? You want to keep your good image right?"

The Magister took in Lilac's cryptic words. His spine chilled as if they had had a chilling effect on him. He supposed Lilac had a point. Was keeping his opulent position really more important than sparing the lives of two children? Said two children also being friends of Lilac, the one who had saved Avalice from Brevon on two occasions and stopped The Christmas Raid? What a horrible way to repay Carol and Milla for their hard work this would be, to just like Lilac kill them like this. No. He couldn't let Lilac kill them. He had to give up his throne for their sake. There was always a chance that he could get the throne back and he'd rather attempt such a thing without Carol and Milla's dead bodies on his hands. Sighing, The Magister made up his mind. He wasn't happy with it but he knew that he had no other choice.

"Very well…you win." The Magister murmured, "I shall relinquish my title to you."

"WHAT?!" Gong and Neera both yelped in unison, unable to believe what they had just heard.

"Thank you very much." Lilac sneered, releasing Carol and Milla and leaving them to drop down onto the floor.

The dog and cat both coughed and spluttered, trying to get their much needed breath back. Lilac strolled up toward The Magister, a triumphant smirk on her face as she took in the fact things were going well for her. She hadn't expected this take-over to be so easy but she didn't mind. Lilac reached out and placed a hand under The Magister's chin, staring deep into his eyes. The Magister kept his face blank but the corrupted dragon was sure she could see something close to fear in his eyes.

"Don't feel too bad Magister." Lilac crowed, "I'll take good care of the people of Shang Tu. And I'll let you live…in the dungeons that is. Gong and Neera will be well kept too so don't worry about them."

"I hope you keep your word…" the royal Avalician muttered grimly.

"Oh I will, provided that you and the rest of Shang Tu comply with my needs." the red-eyed dragon sneered, "All I want is for them to respect me and worship me and for everyone in this palace to play along with my demands. Such simple things I ask for and if you comply with them, I'll be a good girl and let you and your buddies live."

"Why are you doing this Lilac? Why have you betrayed all of Avalice?" The Magister asked, his voice sounding almost sad as he spoke.

He had trusted Lilac more than anybody in the world and had believed she was innocent when half of the world didn't. And yet, Lilac was just proving that everybody had every right to doubt her. What had happened that ended up changing Lilac so drastically? The question burned in his mind as he tried to figure out the answer. The dragon smiled sardonically at The Magister.

"Why? Well let's just say that I've come to realize that the world will never like me no matter how much good I do…" she said, "So why not get them to respect me by forcing them to? And as the new Royal Magister, the world won't dare disrespect me again!"

Carol and Milla took in Lilac's words despairingly. This wasn't their friend speaking anymore. It was like some sick, twisted version of Lilac talking. The supposed purple gas that Lilac had been sprayed with earlier had to be corrupting her mind and making Lilac a dark mirror-image of herself. If only they could get it out of her! But how could they? They had nothing on them that would get the gas out of their friend's bloodstream. Maybe they could try knocking her out and see if the blow to the head is enough to snap her out of it. But the wildcat wasn't sure if she could risk such a tactic. Lilac might kill her and Milla without any mercy if she dared to try and knock her out. Carol knew it was better not to give Lilac an excuse to attack and kill. Unfortunately, Neera Li seemed perfectly willing to take such a risk. She aimed her ice sceptre at Lilac, preparing to freeze the traitor alive and arrest her. But Lilac had expected the move. She knew that Neera was behind her and that she had the ability to freeze people with her sceptre so she was already expecting the priestess to try and freeze her. Because of this, Lilac had seized The Magister by the arms and threw him in front of herself. Neera fired a freezing beam at Lilac but The Magister was now in her way so the beam hit him instead. The Magister froze instantly, his entire body covered in ice and immobilizing him completely. He had been frozen with a look of utter disbelief on his face as if he couldn't believe what had just happened. Neera Li stared in horror at her frozen leader, unable to believe what she'd just done.

"Magister!" she cried out, "Magister I'm so sorry! I was aiming for Lilac!"

Lilac tutted mockingly at the female panda.

"Well that's not very good." she crooned, "First you try to mutiny against me and now you go and freeze the Royal Magister. Not good at all. What on Avalice will the people have to say about this?"

"Shut up traitor!" Li screamed angrily, "You're gonna pay for your treachery and when we're through with you, you'll never see the light of day again!"

"Oh you're so foolish pretty panda…" Lilac snorted, "You could never defeat me so what chance do you think you possibly have of stopping me now?"

"There's always a chance that I'll succeed." Neera declared.

She prepared to fight but two voices called out to her. They were Carol and Milla. They had recovered from nearly being strangled to death earlier and now they could speak properly again, they could tell Neera and Gong what was going on. They forced themselves onto their feet and cried out.

"Don't fight her!" yelped Carol desperately, "She's not herself! We have to help her!"

"She's only evil because somebody sprayed her with purple gas!" Milla exclaimed, "She's not being bad under her own terms! Some evil gas has made her evil!"

Neera took in the two Avalician's words and thought for a moment. Sprayed with purple gas? That sounded a little suspicious. She was sure that Carol and Milla were trying to defend their friend. But why would they tell a lie like that after being held hostage and nearly throttled to death? It didn't make sense. They had to be telling the truth. Also, Lilac was suddenly evil and Neera had noticed quite clearly that she had red glowing eyes. Just like what happened to those who fell victim to the Dark Stone's power. Could it be…?

Before Neera Li could connect the dots, Lilac suddenly rocketed into her in a Dragon-Boost and sent her flying across the room. The pastes cried out as she was flung away like a piece of garbage and she came down with a heavy crash onto the floor. Carol and Milla gasped in horror and turned around just in time to see a purple blur whoosh towards them and wallop them both in the faces with a quick, powerful punch. Carol and Milla were thrown backwards, amazed at the power of their best friend. It seemed very strange and also heart-breaking to be on the receiving end of your friend's punches after being used to watching said friend dish out punishment to your enemies. It was like the whole incident with the Dark Stone all over again, only Lilac wasn't monstrous and yet still very deadly. Lilac laughed, pleased to see that her strength was doing her so much good. It was funny how a small dose of Dark Stone energy had aggrandized her so much. Right now, the dragon felt like she could take on Natalya and beat her in five seconds flat. Maybe even Lord Brevon.

General Gong sneaked up behind Lilac, something that he wasn't renowned for given his large size and armour, and he readied his shield for a throw. He would take Lilac's legs out from underneath her with the shield and while she was down on her back, he would knock her out with a single punch. The nightmare would be over and hopefully, Lilac would snap out of her crazed state. If it worked, they'd be able to cover the whole thing up and pretend it never happened to save Lilac's stained reputation from being further ruined. But Gong's plan didn't work. Lilac had heard him coming and was quick to use a Dragon Cyclone on him, walloping him heavily with her tendrils and throwing him down onto his back. The panda could only lie there, perplexed that a girl like Lilac could use her hair as such a deadly weapon. The general stood back up and raised his shield as Lilac began whipping at him with her tendrils. The long, hard, whippy tendrils slammed against the shield multiple times but did no damage. Gong then thrust his arms forward, the shield pushing Lilac backwards and sending her skidding towards Neera. The she-panda was about to freeze the fallen heroine but Lilac heard her sceptre preparing to fire so she moved out of the way. This caused Neera to miss and accidentally shoot Gong with a freezing blast of ice. The general was frozen instantly by the blast, his eyes wide in surprise and his arms in a gesture that suggested he'd tried to block the attack with them. He had failed. Neera put a hand to her mouth in horror. Lilac smiled at her mockingly.

"And now you freeze General Gong! Tsk, tsk, tsk Neera Li! This is appalling behaviour!" she sneered, "What on Avalice will my poor city think to you freezing the former Magister and the army general themselves?"

"It seems that you're too fast for me…" Neera snarled, "So I'll just stop trying to freeze you and instead just knock you down and THEN freeze you!"

She swung the sceptre through the air like a club and walloped Lilac in the side of her head with it. The dragon was sent spinning away from the panda, momentarily distorted by the attack. She felt as if she'd been hit by a sledgehammer. But the Dark Stone's energy made Lilac more endurable, meaning that she needed a lot more than a blow to the head to stop her. The corrupted Avalician shook herself off just as Neera Li came rushing towards her again. Lilac smiled confidently and then proceeded to Dragon Boost straight into her. She whooshed towards the priestess in a train of sparkles and slammed into her stomach. Li cried out as she was carried across the room and slammed into a wall by the powerful dragon. The slam had knocked much of the wind out of her and she dropped her sceptre. Lilac stepped back and let Neera Li collapse onto the floor, unconscious for the moment.

Before she could celebrate her victory though, a huge green block suddenly shot out of nowhere and slammed into Lilac, knocking her clean off of her feet. She landed on her side and grunted, wondering what had happened. It was Milla who had fired the shot at her. She and Carol stood before her, looking apologetic for what they had just done.

"I'm sorry…" Milla said softly.

"Lilac, this isn't you! You've been corrupted! We wanna help you!" Carol exclaimed, "Please stand down and let us fix you! We don't wanna have to fight you!"

"Well too bad, because if you wanna fight then you're gonna get one!" Lilac snarled, "I'm disgusted at you two for daring to mutiny against me! And I thought you'd make lovely slaves for me as I sit comfortably on the throne of Shang Tu! Guess I'll have to discipline you both first!"

Carol and Milla both sighed sadly at their friend. Whatever the purple gas was, it had definitely ruined Lilac. She was well and truly gone and only by getting rid of the gas would they be able to get her back. It pained them to think that they'd have to fight Lilac, but they knew that they had no choice. In order to save their best friend, they had to take her down first. Carol raised her fists and prepared to fight. Tears streamed down her face as the unthinkable as about to become thinkable. Never in her life had she expected that she would have to fight her best friend.

"Alright…I guess you're too stubborn to listen to us…" she said coldly, "I'm sorry buddy…but I'm gonna have to fight you."

"You will be sorry since you're the one who's going to be beaten to a pulp!" Lilac growled.

She curled up into a ball and prepared to launch herself at Carol in another Dragon Boost attack. But the wildcat knew Lilac better than anybody in the world. She knew her moves and she knew her fighting style and those facts would give her the advantage in the fight. She also had sharp reflexes, a trait common in most cats. She'd be far likelier to dodge any of Lilac's attacks than anyone else. She was already throwing herself aside as her corrupted friend came charging at her as if she'd been fired out of a gun. The dragon rocketed past Carol, leaving a trail of sparkles behind, and she skidded to a halt across the floor. She glared at her feline opponent. It seemed that she would have to fight smart in order to take down somebody who knew who moves and battle prowess very well. Lilac ran towards Carol and spun around on the balls of her feet. She then raised one leg and scythed it through the air towards Carol's face. The wildcat reacted, but not fast enough. The heel of Lilac's booted foot caught her across the cheek and momentarily knocked some of her senses out of her. Carol fell onto her side, clutching her cheek while Lilac prepared for another attack. She raised her right hand with all her fingers stretched out and aimed for Carol's head. A simple karate chop that would knock her out cold once she struck.

But before Lilac could harm her best friend, Milla summoned a green block just above her head and hurled it at Lilac. The block slammed into the dragon's head, knocking her down onto her side. Lilac winched in pain, rubbing her head vigorously to ease the pain. Carol picked herself up just as Milla ran towards her to take her side. The wildcat knew that taking advantage of a downed opponent was a very useful tactic in a fight so just as Lilac picked herself up, she reacted. She leapt onto Lilac like a tiger pouncing on the unfortunate deer that was in its sights and tackled her to the floor. Already hating herself for what she was doing, Carol began clawing at Lilac's face rapidly, her hands nothing but blurs as she swiped at her best friend over and over. Lilac screamed a rather inhuman sounding scream that made her sound more annoyed than in pain. She swiped upwards with her hands to defend herself from Carol's attack. As Carol's Wild Claw attack began slashing at her arms, Lilac found a way out of the tough situation she was in. She suddenly swiped one arm upwards towards Carol's face and jabbed her in the eye with her index finger. The cat screamed, her stricken eye streaming with a tear and she stopped slashing at Lilac to instinctively rub her eye better. This gave the dragon the perfect opportunity to lash out and smack Carol off of herself. As the cat veered to one side, Lilac leaped back up but Milla had already summoned a green block to her hands and instinctively threw it at the dragon to knock her down again. The block hit Lilac, but it didn't knock her over. The dragon's legs had been spread out too far after she'd jumped back up so the block didn't knock her over after hitting her. It had come close as Lilac leaned to one side on one of her feet from the blow.

She quickly regained her balance and dashed towards Milla before the innocent young puppy could throw another block. She whipped the dog across the face with her tendrils, making Milla squeal in pain, and then Lilac grabbed her by the wrists. She yanked Milla towards herself and drove one of her knees straight into the dog's solar plexus. She promptly let go of Milla, leaving her to slump on the floor and gasp for breath. She remembered how Natalya loved to hit people in that particular part of their body so she decided to try it out and see how effective it was. To Lilac's delight, it was very effective. Milla felt as if she wouldn't be able to stand up again for a while as she fought to get her breath back. But as Lilac stood admiring her handiwork, Carol scampered towards her on all fours and threw herself towards the corrupted dragon.

Lilac heard her coming but reacted too late to stop Carol. The wildcat hit her and brought her down onto her back again. But Lilac had smartened up to Carol's earlier attack and she swung her legs upwards just as the two landed on the floor. This caused Carol to hurl straight off of the dragon's body and land with a thump onto her back. Both opponents picked themselves up and began launching a volley of punches at each other. Lilac and Carol both landed some very hard blows on each other, striking at various different parts of either opponent's bodies. Carol uppercut Lilac in the face, making sure that she didn't hold back since she wouldn't knock her best friend out if she was too soft on her. Lilac's head snapped backwards sharply from the blow and just before she could lower her head again, Carol elbowed Lilac in the gut. The dragon doubled over, giving the wildcat the perfect chance to slam her fist down onto her opponent's head. Lilac slumped down onto the floor but she didn't stay down. She picked herself up and walloped Carol in the jaw with a terrific punch that could have taken her head off. Carol winced in pain, her jaw throbbing heavily and her neck feeling like it had pins and needles in it whenever she turned her head. Lilac took advantage of this, spinning on her toes and unleashing a Dragon Cyclone on Carol. The wildcat grunted and cried out as she was repeatedly hammered by her draconian comrade's trademark long hair. Now she knew how Lilac's opponents felt when she whipped them as hard as possible. It was an experience Carol hoped she would never feel again. Lilac's Dragon Cyclone concluded and as she finished spinning, she roundhouse kicked Carol towards the balcony.

The cat landed down heavily onto the balcony, coming to a stop just by the barrier. She forced herself back onto her feet just as Lilac came rocketing towards her. Carol had no time to react as the dragon reached her and closed her hands around her throat. For the second time now, Carol found herself being strangled by her best friend. It was a horrible feeling, a feeling that was worse for her than even Brevon's torture when he and Natalya had teamed up to make Lilac crack. The wildcat grabbed Lilac's wrists and tried to wrench the reptilian Avalician's hands away. But the dragon had a vice like grip and she refused to let go. Her hands tightened around Carol's neck, threatening to shut off her air supply for good. Carol gagged loudly, trying to keep a hold on what little air she had left.

"Lilac…please…no…" Carol croaked.

"I'm seriously tempted to just throw you over the balcony and let you fall to your death!" Lilac snarled, "But then that'd be a waste of somebody who could be useful for me. Let this be a lesson Carol…if you dare defy me again. I WON'T let you live! Got it?"

Carol tried to reply but no words would come to her mouth. Lilac loosened her grip a little so Carol could speak properly. The cat never got the chance to do so for Milla and Neera Li, both having recovered from their earlier onslaughts at Lilac's hands, came rushing towards her. Seeing this, Lilac let go of Carol's throat and grabbed her ankles. She titled Carol up onto the barrier of the balcony by her ankles, the tomboy feline almost upside down now and screaming blue murder as she saw what awaited her at the bottom. Lilac could now throw Carol over the edge and send her falling to her death with one quick flick of her hands. Carol would plummet headfirst towards solid ground. The result would be very messy. Milla and Neera stopped hesitantly, not daring to come any closer in case Lilac dropped Carol. The dragon's eyes fixed on the girls.

"OK you two, here's the deal!" she barked, "You stop rebelling against me and surrender and Carol's head won't end up smashed on the tarmac below!"

"Lilac, please let her go!" Milla cried out.

"You wouldn't kill your best friend Lilac! Please don't do it!" Neera protested.

"I'll spare her life IF you promise to serve your new Magister and play nicely for me!" Lilac snapped.

Carol took in what was happening with despair. Once again, she had messed up. It was bad enough she'd given Timothy more reasons to hate Lilac completely unintentionally and now she was helping Lilac come out on top by becoming hostage bait. She didn't dare kick Lilac's hands away in fear of causing herself to fall. She couldn't possibly have been in a more terrifying situation than right now. But the worst was yet to come. Carol's eyes widened as she saw an upside down crowd of people gathering around the Royal Palace and gesticulating wildly. Staring at them upside down, Carol felt as if she was watching people stand on the sky and point down at the ground. It made her feel a little uneasy. The crowd was seeing what was happening and shouting out in disbelief. They saw Lilac the Dragon Girl holding Carol the Wildcat by her ankles with her upper body balancing on the balcony rail and threatening to throw her over. There was a huge uproar as the horrified crowd took in what they were seeing.

"What's going on?!"

"It's that dragon girl! Lilac I think her name is!"

"What's she doing to that cat?! She's holding her over the balcony!"

"Somebody help! Lilac's gone bad and is trying to murder her best friend!"

"That old turtle was right! Dragons are bad! Lilac's showing us just how bad she is!"

"She must be trying to take over our kingdom!"

Carol's face fell as she heard the crowd's shouts. It was official. Lilac's reputation was not only ruined. It was dead. Nobody would ever see her as the heroine who had saved the world twice and saved Christmas. They were seeing her for the monster she hadn't willingly become. How would Lilac save herself now? The dragon herself hadn't seemed to have noticed the crowd. She was fixed on Milla and Neera Li. The two girls looked unsure of what to do so Lilac decided to force them to make a decision.

"Hurry up! If you don't surrender in two seconds, Carol's going on a trip to the graveyard!" she warned.

"Milla, Neera, please just surrender! We've lost…let's give Lilac a reason to spare us!" Carol begged, her body tingling with terror as she imagined the horrible impact her fall would have.

The dog and panda nodded, knowing that Carol had the right idea. If they were going to snap Lilac out of it, they'd prefer to do it with the wildcat alive. Lilac would die of a broken heart if she turned good and realized that she'd murdered her own best friend. They couldn't let Lilac suffer through that. Sighing, Neera tossed her sceptre towards Lilac and Milla held up her hands.

"We give." Neera muttered.

"Thank you." Lilac sneered, lowering Carol back down onto the balcony.

The wildcat wiped sweat off her forehead, relieved that her terrifying ordeal was over. Lilac strode over to Neera's sceptre and she picked it up, pleased to have the powerful weapon in her hands. She could freeze anybody who dared to stand up to her! What fun that would be! Lilac pointed the sceptre at Carol and ordered her to join Neera and Milla. The wildcat quickly obeyed, not daring to make her friend-turned-villain mad again. She ran over to Milla and Neera. Lilac now stood before all three of them, ready to freeze them with Neera's sceptre if any of them so much as sneezed.

"Alright then, since you're all going to cooperate for me, I have some roles for you all in my palace." Lilac announced, "Carol, Milla. You're my slaves. You'll be shackled beside my throne and forced to wait on me. Neera, you'll be my servant girl, fetching things for me whenever I desire them. I do suggest that you put on something a bit more…revealing though. You don't look like a servant girl."

Neera blushed but said nothing.

"Will you be mean to us?" Milla whimpered.

"Oh no. If you be good slaves for me then I'll be very generous to you." Lilac declared, "A good master appreciates a good slave."

"Do we have to dress in scant clothing too?" asked Carol nervously.

"What do you think I am?! Sick?!" Lilac shrieked, her face twisting in disgust "You're both too young for that! I'm not THAT much of a monster! No, you can stay as you are. Neera, get changed NOW." she added, pointing the sceptre at the priestess.

Neera nodded and left the room to change her appearance. As she left though, she muttered a silent prayer to herself. She prayed that this dark hour would come to an end and that Lilac would be saved from the Dark Stone's energy, if that was indeed what had corrupted her and was causing her to be like this. The moment she left, Lilac looked over at Carol and Milla.

"Now we're gonna need some shackles for you two to keep you linked to my throne." she said, "Which ones should I use though? A shackle on your necks or your wrists…"

She was suddenly interrupted by a strange sound. It was the sound of a crowd in an uproar. They must be worried about something, their shouts sounded as if they were unsure of what was happening. It sounded like a big crowd too. Maybe the whole populace of Shang Tu was here. Lilac turned around and strode up to the balcony rail. She peered down at the crowd and smirked deviously to herself. What a delightful sight! A terrified crowd all looking up at her! She was going to enjoy this.

"Well, well, well…I have an audience!" she cried out excitedly, "I'm gonna have a field day with this! Ha, ha, ha. Time to let the world know that I'm now taking command of not just Shang Tu…but Shuigang and Shang Mu too!"

She cackled to herself, her evil laugh sounding strange and unnatural as if she wasn't used to doing such a laugh. Lilac held up her hands for silence. The crowd's cries and shouts died away into silence and Lilac began making her big announcement. It was an announcement that would change everything for her…and in the worst way possible…

* * *

Over in Shuigang Prison, Spade slumped on his bed and sighed loudly for what was surely the millionth time since he'd been locked up in his cell. He still couldn't believe that he was here right now, locked up like a wild animal and separated from the Red Scarves. This was a stain upon his honour that would take a while to clean. Maybe it would never be cleaned. Captured and locked up! And more humiliating than that, he'd been knocked out by his own brother! Dail had been sure to gloat about it once he'd finally come to. It made Spade feel sick to think that his own brother had been able to get the drop on him like this. He'd never been caught…until now. He'd only spent one night so far in his cell and already he wasn't enjoying life in captivity. It was boring in the cell with nothing to do except lounge around on the bed and stare at the ceiling or sleep. He now pitied his Red Scarf comrades for having to suffer this for a few months after the Christmas Raid had gone disastrously wrong. He and Natalya had broken them all out two weeks ago. Hopefully, they'd do the same for him.

Spade was lying on his bed and staring up at the ceiling as if it could somehow get him out of here. His bed was comfortable and pleasant to sleep in, something that Spade very much appreciated. His cell wasn't as inviting, having four bare walls and a barred window that was too high for him to look out of. Spade had imagined himself using his cards to slice the bars to pieces and then using his bed to bounce on and reach the window. But he supposed that Dail wouldn't place him in a cell where he could cut the bars with his cards. The bars could be extremely tough and near-impossible to cut. He could try it and see what happened. Spade summoned a card to his hand, this one a five of diamonds, and he threw it at the barred window. The card merely pinged harmlessly off of the bar and landed on the floor beside his bed. The guard outside his door had heard the sound and he glanced in through the door to see what was happening. His eyes fixed on Spade menacingly.

"Hey! No cards! King's orders! Got it?" he growled.

"Yes..." muttered Spade, picking up his card and putting it away.

The guard nodded and turned away, leaving Spade in peace once again. So he was right. The bars were too tough for his cards. He couldn't cut his way through. The panda sighed, wondering how he was going to escape from this cell. Could he blackmail the guard? Possibly but he was sure that Dail's guards weren't easy to blackmail. They'd likely not give him a chance to hold them hostage anyway. Being Dail's criminal brother and all, Spade knew that the guards would be watching him very cautiously. Maybe he could trick them? Probably not. The guards likely wouldn't fall for any of his tricks. They knew that Spade was a sneaky ninja and ninjas were very famous for using deception as a weapon and a means to an end. They wouldn't be fooled so easily. It did seem pretty hopeless. Spade felt that he may well be stuck here forever. He imagined that Natalya would be laughing at him right now. His former boss had tried to get rid of the Red Scarves by ordering them to disband so the thought of him being stuck in prison was likely a pleasant thought for the mauve-skinned dragon.

But then suddenly, something strange happened. Spade's eyes widened as he saw a grappling hook appear from nowhere and wrap itself around one of the bars of his window! Spade stared at it, wondering what was going to happen. Then he heard a sound that he knew from anywhere. It was the sound of a motorbike's engine revving and kicking into gear. The ninja panda knew what was happening. His Red Scarf friends had found his cell and were using the motorbikes to pull a bar out of his window so he could escape! What a fortunate turn of events this was turning out to be! He just hoped the guard didn't get suspicious of the motorbike engine roaring outside. The guard did hear it but he didn't do anything. It must be somebody riding their bike nearby, nothing to worry about. The motorbike pulled the grappling hook taut and tugged on the rope hard as the engine kicked into full gear. The bike's tyres squealed as they dug into the concrete path, willing the machine to pull and pull until the bar came free. To make doubly sure that it would succeed, another Red Scarf threw a grappling hook around the same bar and kicked his bike into gear. The Red Scarves drove very powerful motorbikes, carrying about 160 horsepower in their powerful engines and strong builds. Together, the two motorbikes's horsepower added up to 320. The bar was strong, but it wasn't built to take the strain of two motorbikes pulling on it. It began to creak horribly as it was pulled by the two machines. Spade could even see it slowly but steadily beginning to bend.

The guard heard this and wondered what was happening. He turned around and stared through Spade's cell door. His eyes widened in horror as he saw the middle bar in the window bend and give away. It snapped out of its socket and came free from the window. Alarmed, the guard fumbled around for his keys to get Spade's door open. But he was too late. The ninja panda bounced on his bed and soared towards the gap in his window. He landed on the edge of the window and pulled himself through the gap just as the guard unlocked his door and ran inside. He lunged at Spade but he was a fraction too slow. He missed the panda's foot by inches and ended up crashing into the wall. He slumped on the floor, dazed and confused as his prisoner escaped from his cell.

Outside, Spade landed feet first onto the ground and was rewarded with a wonderful sight. The Red Scarves were all standing before him, two of them on motorbikes and the rest off of their motorbikes as they prepared to greet him. Spade noticed some knocked out guards all over the yard and a hole in the fence around the prison. The scarves had obviously managed to break through the fence and knock out the guards. They had so quietly, hence why he and the guards in the prison hadn't heard anything. It was a well-executed escape plan and Spade couldn't be happier with his beloved ninjas. They had come to rescue him after all, now he and the scarves were even.

"Thank you my friends." Spade said graciously, "You've got me outta prison. I'm honoured you came for me."

"No problem boss. We couldn't leave our new leader to rot in jail now could we?" said one Red Scarf ninja brightly.

"We were sent here to rescue you by our newest employer." said another ninja, "He's a dragon named Memphis and he came up with the plan to get you out. We've executed his plan as you can see."

"I see." said Spade, nodding slowly, "Who's Memphis?"

"Somebody who seems to really hate that dragon chick who ditched us!" exclaimed a third ninja, "He's plotting to ruin her reputation and he's asked us to be part of it! We're breaking you outta prison and acting like we're doing so on Lilac's orders to give her a bad image! Just as Memphis planned!"

"We even told the guards in the yard that Lilac ordered us to do this before we knocked them out." said a fourth ninja, winking.

The red-scarf wearing panda's face curled into a desirous smirk of delight. Ruining Lilac's image eh? Making her look bad eh? Spade liked the sound of that. Whoever this Memphis person was, he'd be happy to take part in his scheme.

"That Memphis guy has an idea that I like..." Spade sneered, "Lilac deserves this for all the crap she's done to us lately! This'll teach her to mess with us! I'm in on this plan of his!"

"We knew you would be boss." said the first Red Scarf, "Now come, let's get outta here before the guards realize you're gone!"

Spade nodded and quickly hopped onto a motorbike with another Red Scarf hopping on behind him. What a delightful day this was turning out to be. He was on his way out of prison and he'd only been in for one night! Spade had sworn that Shuigang wouldn't hold him forever and he had been right about it. He revved up the bike's engine and rushed off, the bike carrying him effortlessly towards the prison fence. He whizzed through the hole with the rest of the Red Scarves driving off after him on their own motorbikes. By the time they'd all driven away, the guards had rushed outside to try and stop them from getting away. But they had been too late. The Red Scarves had gone, Spade included. What a rotten day this was for them. How would they explain this to King Dail...?

* * *

Back in Dragon Valley, Miguel, Lela and Natalya were gathered on the sofa and anxiously waiting for Lilac and Milla to come back with Carol. The two had been gone for an awfully long time. Too long in fact. It was five o'clock, meaning the evening was coming and they still hadn't returned! They'd been gone for a whole afternoon. What on Avalice was taking them so long? Were they really having that much trouble finding Carol? Natalya was finding herself experiencing something she hadn't experienced in a long time...worry. Worry for the well-being of somebody. Most importantly, her adopted daughter. Natalya felt like a real worried parent as she sat there wondering if Lilac was going to return soon. Maybe Dawn had feelings like this herself when she was worried over her daughter's safety. The feelings made Natalya feel somewhat happy. If she was worried over Lilac, it meant she had well and truly changed and was truly her adopted mother. But anxiety was not something she was used to having not felt it for many, many years. Miguel and Lela glanced over at the clock again, seeing the time and sighing grimly. They had the television on again, just to pass the time, but they weren't really enjoying the program that was on. It was coming to a close and the news would soon be on again. Lilac and Milla still weren't back. The two parents were beginning to get concerned.

"Lilac and Milla have been gone an awful long time..." Lela fretted, "Do you think they're OK?"

"I'm sure they are darling." said Miguel softly, "Lilac can take very good care of herself and Milla has special powers. They'll be fine."

"I do wonder why they're taking so long to find Carol..." Natalya mused, "Surely a green-furred cat in a red scarf isn't that hard to find..."

"Maybe Carol's so upset over Lilac throwing her out that she probably doesn't WANT to be found." Lela suggested, "Maybe she doesn't want Lilac and Milla to find her and that's why they're taking so long."

"I hope they come home soon." Natalya said grimly, "I can't say I'm enjoying the feeling of worrying about my adopted daughter. I never knew that this is what being a parent would feel like..."

"Well Natalya, now you know how we feel when we worry about Milla." said Miguel, "When you're a parent, a child is a wonderful thing to have but at the same time, it's quite nerve-wracking to raise them. You worry about their safety and that's OK. It's in our nature. We show that we care for our children."

"Try saying that to MY parents..." the dragon growled bitterly.

"Oh...yeah, you have abusive parents so you probably don't know what it's like to be a caring parent..." the male hound quickly said.

"That is true." Natalya said, her expression softening, "I've only ever experienced what abusive parents are like so getting to hear how much you care for Milla and experiencing feelings that a caring parent would more likely feel is quite unusual for me. Better than what I used to be like though, that's for sure."

"Agreed." said Lela, "It's very good that you're experiencing more...human emotions so to speak. It's a good sign Natalya. A sign that you're becoming more like us."

"Why thank you." said Natalya brightly, "I'm very honored to receive such a comment. Who'd have thought that making you members of the scarves would end up leading to this for me?"

"That's quite a point." Miguel agreed, "If you hadn't kidnapped us then Lilac, Carol and Milla wouldn't have come looking for us and end up meeting you again, which led to the events that happened two weeks ago. Amazing what kinds of event chains you can build from a simple action..."

"That is certainly true." the dragon agreed, "But I'm glad it happened otherwise I'd still be a monster trying to achieve an impossible dream..."

She was suddenly interrupted as the news suddenly come on the TV. Miguel, Lela and Natalya stared at the news, wondering if they'd hear anything interesting. Maybe they'd hear good news saying that people had finally stopped doubting Lilac and could see her for the good that she was. The three Avalicians stared at the television as the news story began.

"Good evening folks and welcome to News of Avalice." said the presenter, "We have a rather hot news story that's just come in now. It seems that the subject of debate, Lilac's allegiance, is finally over. For news from Shang Tu states that Lilac appears to have gone rogue."

The television then switched from the presenter to some recorded footage of Lilac holding Carol over the balcony rail and threatening to drop her. Miguel, Lela and Natalya shrieked in disbelief at what they were looking at. What was Lilac doing?! What was going on?! As if reading their thoughts, the presenter continued.

"This footage was recorded an hour ago in Shang Tu by a very disbelieving crowd. As we can see, Lilac is holding her best friend Carol Tea over the balcony rail of the Royal Palace. She did not drop the wildcat but she did end up delivering to us this speech..."

The presenter fell silent as more recorded footage played on the TV. This time, the camera was fully zoomed in on Lilac standing on the balcony and addressing the crowd of Shang Tu below her. Natalya was quick to notice that Lilac's eyes were red. She watched in total silence as on the screen, Lilac spoke.

"People of Shang Tu! There has been a little change in management here today! The Royal Magister has ceded his title to me and I am now the NEW Royal Magister of Shang Tu! You all work for me now and if any one of you so much as looks at me funny...there will be horrible consequences for you! I demand your utmost respect as I'm ruling this kingdom. If you don't, then woe betide all of you! You probably saw what I did to Carol earlier. I can arrange worse things for anybody who mutinies against me."

Miguel and Lela couldn't believe their ears. Lilac had taken over Shang Tu and was actually threatening anybody who dared to stand up against her?! What was going on?! This wasn't the Lilac they knew and loved! Natalya however, seemed to know exactly what was wrong with her adopted daughter. Her face was blank, giving nothing away although there was a hint of sadness in her eyes. Sadness because of what had happened to her beloved dragon. The footage played more of Lilac's speech.

"Now we've got that outta the way, is there anybody with a camera at all?" she asked. The screen shook up and down as if the camera was saying yes. Lilac saw the camera and looked straight at it.

"Good. Because I have some demands to make. Demands that Shang Mu and Shuigang must hear." the dragon said coldly, "Shang Mu: Mayor Zao is to resign from his position and hand the kingdom over to me. Shuigang: King Dail is to do the same. If the mayor and king fail to meet my demands...then may the ancient dragons have mercy on your pathetic souls! You have until tomorrow to meet my demands Dail and Zao! Please accept them...I don't think your people would be happy that you've been so selfish and put yourselves above them. These are my demands and I want you both to accept them. Your time to say yes starts NOW..."

The footage ended and the presenter returned to the screen.

"It appears that the Avalician we once knew as a hero is now a villain who wants to rule all three kingdoms of Avalice." he murmured, his face blank and his voice neutral as if this was a normal day for him, "It would appear that the people have been right to doubt Lilac. She's shown her true colours at last. Timothy Turtle was once again, able to meet up with a news crew and he's got something to say about all this."

The screen then switched to an image of a very angry looking Timothy. He was hopping about like a wild animal and waving his cane around like crazy.

"I told ya! I TOLD YA! I told ya dragons were evil but you morons didn't listen! And now our world is suffering the consequences for your stupidity!" he bellowed, "We must stop Lilac now before she oppresses us all!"

The screen switched back to the presenter as Timothy's message concluded.

"Also, we've had a tip-off from the guards of Shuigang Palace that the Red Scarves have broken Spade out of prison."

That bit of news made Natalya's eyes narrow in fury. The presenter continued.

"They broke him out just over 40 minutes ago and according to witnesses, the Red Scarves claimed to have been operating on Lilac's orders. So it seems that the Heroine of Avalice is now in charge of the Red Scarves and has now freed their leader. Who knows what she'll do with those criminals now they're working for her? And to finish off, we've managed to get a chance to talk to Mayor Zao and King Dail about all of this and they both have conflicting opinions on the subject."

Miguel, Lela and Natalya watched as the TV showed an image of Mayor Zao. The short but ill-tempered and highly haughty and arrogant red panda had been the first to accuse Lilac of turning evil back when she'd fallen victim to the Dark Stone. He seemed thrilled to be talking on live television right now. His egotistical manner was very evident as he spoke.

"I knew that dragon had turned on us! She started with my kingdom by using the Dark Stone to make herself a monster and destroy part of my city!" he ranted, "And now she's taken over Shang Tu and wants me to give my kingdom over to her! That proves I was right all along! As for my kingdom, she can't have it! She can threaten me all she likes, I refuse to give into her crackpot demands!"

**5+ REFUSAL**

"How does he do that?" Natalya murmured to herself.

The screen then switched to an image of King Dail. He looked extremely angry as if he couldn't believe he was here right now and having to talk about something he shouldn't need to.

"I think you're all nuts to believe this nonsense for a minute!" Dail ranted, "There's no way in hell that Lilac has turned evil! Somebody's trying to trick us or at the very most, somebody has corrupted Lilac and she needs our help to get back to normal! It's possible she was even blackmailed and is doing this because she has no choice! So I think you all need to stop assuming what isn't true and see Lilac for what she is! She's the girl who saved our world from Lord Brevon! Twice in fact! That alone shouldn't give you any reason at all to doubt her allegiance!"

Dail's image vanished and in his place, the presenter reappeared.

"Well that was interesting. The question now is if Lilac's betrayal is legitimate or something a little more sinister? We hope to find out soon enough. And now for something completely different..."

Miguel promptly switched the TV off. The three Avalicians on the sofa could only stare disbelievingly at what they'd seen and heard.

"No...no...it can't be..." Lela sobbed, tears streaming down her face.

"Lilac can't have turned evil, she just can't!" Miguel shrieked, "She'd never do this! This can't possibly be true!"

"But honey, you've seen the footage and heard Lilac herself speak!" Lela protested, "As disbelieving as it is, Lilac's well and truly betrayed us!"

"She has not." Natalya said firmly, "I can't believe that you and all the other idiots have overlooked one compulsory detail about the poor child!"

"Oh...what's that then?" Miguel asked.

"She has red eyes for heaven's sake!" Natalya snapped as if Miguel had asked a stupid question, "Don't you know what this means?! She hasn't WILLINGLY turned evil at all! Somebody has corrupted her! And I know what they've used..."

Miguel and Lela waited for the mauve dragon to speak. Natalya paused and then delivered her verdict.

"They must have used the Dark Stone..." she murmured.

"But the Dark Stone was destroyed!" the two Bassets protested.

"Evidently not..." Natalya sighed, "At the very least, maybe it wasn't destroyed and instead, changed form like the Kingdom Stone did. Somebody must have gotten the Dark Stone's energy and used it on my special little Lilac! Obviously, they've not used the whole lot since Lilac's not a monster...but who could have done this?"

"Maybe Timothy did." Miguel suggested, "After all, he keeps trying to "prove" that Lilac's "evil" apparently."

"Maybe it was him...maybe it wasn't...but that doesn't matter." the former villainess sighed, "My poor Lilac's been corrupted by the Dark Stone once again and we HAVE to save her before she goes off the deep end!"

Miguel and Lela nodded agreeably. They believed that Lilac had indeed turned evil because of some heartless villain pumping her full of Dark Stone Energy. Why else would Lilac have turned evil? It all made sense now. But how would they save Lilac? And would they be able to prove that she was innocent and that nobody had to fear her...?

* * *

_**This is bad, so very, very bad! Lilac's in charge of Shang Tu and is now making demands! Can Natalya, Miguel and Lela save her from the menace she's become? Or is Lilac beyond saving? Find out next time as our heroes are "Defying the Dragon's Rule"...**_


	10. Chapter 10: Defying the Dragon's Rule

_Chapter 10: Defying the Dragon's Rule_

"Slaves!" Lilac barked louder than she needed to, "I want my hair massaging if you don't mind!"

"Yes Magister…" muttered Carol grimly.

"Anything for you your majesty." said Milla quietly as if hoping that she was talking in a manner that Lilac was OK with.

"Good girls." the corrupted dragon crooned, "And remember, nice and gently otherwise I'll have you both beaten. Comprende?"

"Yes Lilac." both wildcat and dog said in unison.

Lilac sat back in her throne and relaxed as Carol and Milla took a tendril each into their hands and began gently caressing it with their hands. Sometimes when the dragon was in a bit of a bad mood, she'd let Carol or Milla stroke her tendrils to calm her down. The two didn't mind this; they liked the feeling of their draconian friend's soft, scaly tendrils in their hands. It was like stroking a tame snake in their eyes. Milla herself often compared the feeling of Lilac's tendrils to rope. Carol herself didn't really see why Milla thought Lilac's hair felt like rope. While the cat and dog liked getting to stroke their friend's hair, they didn't like the fact they were doing it as her slaves.

Lilac was sitting in the throne of the Royal Palace, the very place where the Royal Magister would have sat himself. The Magister himself had been unfrozen and thrown into a cell in the dungeons underground. The same had happened to General Gong. Carol and Milla had been chained to the throne with shackles around their wrists connected to each side of the opulent chair by a chain. Then chain was long enough for Carol and Milla to at least massage their former friend's tendrils. The shackles were very tough and the chain was strong. The cat and dog weren't going anywhere in a hurry. They could only run their fingers up and down Lilac's tendrils gently, making sure they didn't accidentally pull on them or do anything to give the evil dragon an excuse to hurt them. She'd already punched Milla for crying as she was chained to the throne and had slugged Carol in the stomach for sticking up for the dog. They didn't want Lilac hitting them again. The evening was getting darker and Lilac could just see the soft glare of the sunset outside through the balcony from where she was sitting. She wondered what tomorrow would be like when the run rose up again, beginning a new day for her on the throne of Shang Tu.

A couple of minutes passed before Lilac received a knock at the door. Her red eyes glared at the door as if angry that it had disturbed her peace. But she knew what was going on and relaxed.

"Come in Neera." she ordered.

The door opened up and in walked Neera Li. The priestess looked ashamed of herself as she entered the room and strode up towards her new Royal Magister with a tray of food in her hands. She was dressed in a pink bikini and a long flowing skirt with splits near the middle for her legs to show. She wore a couple of bracelets on her wrists. The panda was not used to dressing so casually and wearing these clothes right now made her feel almost naked and very humiliated. The Magister would never have done this to her. Lilac watched Neera Li walk up to her with the food tray in hand, seeming to admire the woman's more exposed body. She'd never seen Li wearing anything else before. Neera Li was carrying Lilac's dinner, which consisted of a medium-cooked steak with lots of vegetables and a side of mash. The food had been smothered in gravy. The dragon had requested this meal herself and looked pleased to see it being delivered to her. Neera held the tray out and Lilac took it.

"I hope you enjoy your meal." the priestess muttered bitterly.

"Oh liven up will you Neera? You're spoiling the mood for me." sighed Lilac, picking up her knife and fork and preparing to tuck into her dinner.

"Would you prefer it if I left?" Neera snorted.

"If you're gonna be a grumpy little girl then yes, I would." the dragon snapped, "Get out of here until I'm finished."

The panda bowed and then walked away, looking a little more keen than Lilac would have liked to leave the room. Ignoring her, the dragon cut into her steak and was about to pop it into her mouth when she suddenly stopped. She eyed it suspiciously and then sniffed at it. Carol and Milla wondered why but they supposed the dragon was just making sure Neera hadn't poisoned her food. They knew she wouldn't do that since they wanted Lilac saved, not dead. They were sure that Neera believed that Lilac had been corrupted and probably wanted her saved, and thus wouldn't have dared poison the girl's dinner. It wouldn't have worked anyway for Lilac had an excellent sense of smell. She'd have sniffed the poison out a mile away. Lilac sniffed one last time, deciding that her food was uncontaminated and she popped the steak piece into her mouth, chewing it slowly and savouring the succulent taste of meat and gravy. The smell of Lilac's glorious dinner made Carol and Milla's stomachs growl. They were starving but Lilac hadn't told Neera to fetch them any dinner yet. Milla in particular was eying Lilac's steak as if it was valuable to her and wanted to taste it ever so badly.

"P-please L-Lilac…c-can m-me and C-Carol have some food?" the anxious puppy asked.

"If you think I'm gonna share my dinner with you, forget it!" snapped Lilac, "You two will get your meals once I've eaten, now don't you dare ask me again!"

"Sorry!" whimpered Milla.

"You will be if I decide to have you beaten for this insolence!" the dragon snarled.

"Lilac, I think you've made your point…" Carol said cautiously, knowing that what she'd said could well make Lilac flip at her.

"I should hope I have! Now be quiet and let me eat in peace!" Lilac growled, pointing her knife at Carol threateningly, "If you two say another word before I've finished, I'll hang you upside down from the balcony all night. Is that understood?"

The dog and cat nodded, not wanting to push the dragon's buttons any further. They did not like the idea of hanging upside down all night one little bit, especially from the balcony. The two kept their mouths closed and continued massaging Lilac's tendrils as the dragon girl continued to eat, cutting another piece of steak with her knife. The strange thing was, despite how ruthless Lilac had become courtesy of the Dark Stone's Energy, she ate quite elegantly. She held her knife and fork perfectly and chewed slowly with her mouth shut. It was as if when dining, Lilac had become a totally different person. Carol and Milla just watched, perplexed by how lady-like Lilac's eating was. When she was her old self, she NEVER ate so beautifully. It reminded Carol of Natalya when she had been evil. She'd eaten elegantly when Lilac and Carol had been forced to dine with her despite her evil personality and ruthless demeanour. Did all villains eat elegantly despite their personalities? Carol couldn't quite imagine Lord Brevon or Serpentine eating like this.

Lilac had just eaten half of her steak and was just cutting another slice when suddenly, somebody knocked on the door. Sighing, Lilac put her knife and fork down and snapped.

"Go away! I'm having dinner!"

The door opened anyway and Neera stuck her head in nervously. She didn't show it on her face but she was a little unsure about how Lilac would react to her bursting in like this.

"Do forgive the interruption your majesty, but the Red Scarves are here. They want to see you apparently." the panda said stoically.

"The Red Scarves?!" Carol and Milla shrieked in surprise.

"How incredibly interesting…send them in!" Lilac ordered, "I wonder what they wanna see little old me for."

She grinned delightedly to herself as if pleased to think that the notorious criminal gang, the Red Scarves, wanted to see her. She was also interested in knowing what prompted them to want to see her. Neera Li disappeared again behind the door and for a moment, there was silence as on the other side of the door, Neera told the Red Scarves that they were allowed in. The door opened again and in walked Spade and his fellow ninjas. Carol and Milla were gobsmacked to see Spade. How had he gotten out of prison?! He couldn't possibly be here now! Lilac on the other hand didn't at all seem surprised to see the Red Scarfed panda before her. It was possible that the Dark Stone Energy in her mind had messed up any memories of good deeds she had done, such as getting Spade arrested yesterday. The Red Scarves all bowed down before Lilac as if she was an old friend of theirs. In a way, she was since she had once been a member of the group. Lilac chewed on another piece of steak, waiting for Spade to announce himself.

"So, I hear from the news that you've turned on Avalice and taken over Shang Tu." the panda purred.

"I wouldn't say "turned" on the world since the world turned on me more like." Lilac muttered, spearing a small clump of mash potato with her fork, "Honestly, this stupid world doesn't appreciate poor, special me enough I tell ya! So I've decided to take over the world and MAKE it appreciate me. So far, I've not done too bad. Even Neera Li respects me now."

"I was kinda surprised to see her in such scant clothes." Spade sneered, a dirty smile spreading out on his face, "Was that you?"

"I ordered her to dress like that and she did so." the dragon boasted, clearly pleased with herself, "If I can make somebody as cold and serious as Neera Li do as I say, who knows what else I can do?!"

"Indeed." the panda gloated, "Anyway, due to your desire to take over Avalice, we'd be interested to know if we could…work for you in your plans to take over. We'd serve you faithfully and punish anybody who gets in your way."

Lilac popped some peas and carrots into her mouth and chewed slowly as she pondered on this interesting proposal. Carol and Milla pleaded to her with their eyes to say no. Lilac's reputation would be proper down the drain if she ended up throwing her lot in with the Red Scarves. Nobody would ever trust her again. It was bad enough that she'd made a crazy demand to the crowd of Shang Tu about Shang Mu and Shuigang surrendering themselves to her but letting the Red Scarves join her would just be the final nail in the coffin for their draconian friend. The world would have every right to believe she was evil. Little did they know was that the Red Scarves had lied to the news about their allegiance to Lilac, saying that they had broken Spade out on her orders. The world likely already thought that Lilac and the Red Scarves were together. But now, they were going to be together for real. Memphis of course had told the scarves to do this in order to make their pretence more credible. It all counted on Lilac accepting their offer, which she looked as if she was well ready to do. The dragon swallowed what was in her mouth and she grinned delightedly.

"You know what Spade…I love that idea." Lilac purred, "You and your group will be very helpful to me in my position as the new Royal Magister of Shang Tu. I could send you to assassinate Zao and Dail if they dare to say no to my demands tomorrow. I assume you heard about them?"

"We did." replied Spade, "You want Zao and Dail to hand over their kingdoms to you. If they refuse, we'll put them in their place. Though don't ask me to kill Dail. I won't ever kill my brother…"

"It's fine, you can get one of your buddies to do it for you." Lilac said, "You can kill Zao if he refuses. That big-head deserves death at your hands Spade-y boy."

"I'd be happy to finish that egotistical nut job off…" the panda growled as if thinking about the short-heighted red panda made him want to punch somebody.

"So we're agreed then. You work for me now and if you work for me faithfully and loyally, I'll pay you handsomely for your work." the corrupted heroine said kindly, "And that's a promise I intend to keep."

"We're happy to hear that." Spade crooned, "So what do you want us to do?"

"Stand guard around the Royal Palace for the night." Lilac ordered, "I want to feel safe when I go to bed tonight. I'm expecting some lunatic to take a shot at me after I made my demands. Maybe Zao or Dail will hire an assassin to take me out. You will keep an eye out for ANY intruders. Kill them on sight. Let NOBODY inside my palace."

"It will be done "Magister"." Spade declared, "We won't let you down Lilac."

"If you do then I might have to reconsider who I hire to be my bodyguards…" the dragon said coldly.

_It won't matter if you're dead…_ Carol muttered worriedly in her head.

Spade nodded understandingly, taking in Lilac's orders. He then turned on his heels and left the room with the rest of the Red Scarves following him closely behind. They all filed out of the door and Neera promptly closed it, leaving Lilac, Carol and Milla alone together once again. Lilac continued to eat while Carol and Milla looked nervously over at each other.

"Do you think somebody will actually try to kill Lilac?" the dog whispered worriedly.

"I don't think so." the cat whispered back, "But if somebody does get in here, we'll have to wake Lilac up. She won't return to normal if she's dead…"

Milla nodded agreeably. Even though her best friend was evil, ruthless and cold-hearted now, they couldn't just let somebody take a stab at her. They wanted her back to normal. They wanted to try and get the gas out of her body so she'd be good again. And that meant having to keep her alive. Lilac herself seemed totally relaxed as if she knew that nobody would ever get near her tonight. She finished off her steak and began eating the rest of her dinner, not a care in the world as she ate. She'd sleep peacefully tonight and tomorrow, she'd find out if Dail and Zao were willing to hand over their kingdoms. But little did she know…was that she was about to receive a visit…from three people that she'd forgotten about completely…

* * *

It was night time. The moon had risen up into the sky, a big glistening white ball that somehow looked beautiful due to is soft, radiant glow against the pitch black of the night sky above. Very few stars twinkled. Most of Shang Tu had already gone to bed, though very few people would actually be able to sleep tonight given the horrors of today. Lilac had warned them that strict punishments would be in hand for them if they dared to defy her and the very thought had many people climbing into their beds still worrying about what Lilac was going to do if they dared to say no to her. Some people wanted to rebel but weren't sure if they were brave enough to try it.

The Red Scarves were positioned in strategic areas all around the kingdom of Shang Tu. Most of the gang was either inside or outside the Royal Palace. The remaining members were out prowling through the streets and keeping an eye on things. Some people had seen them patrolling the area through their bedroom windows and grew more nervous. If Lilac thought any of them was plotting against her, she could have the Red Scarves burst into their house and then slaughter them. The red-hooded ninjas already looked as if they were waiting to stab somebody. They'd probably react if somebody so much as whispered something. It was quite clear that the oppressive dragon was leaving nothing to chance tonight. The Royal Palace was surrounded and the streets had ninjas crawling in and out everywhere. Nobody was getting near the palace or even out of their homes or into Shang Tu itself without somebody spotting them.

Such facts were notified by the spying Natalya the Dragon as she and the Basset parents Miguel and Lela were sitting in a tree and observing their surroundings with night-vision goggles that they'd purchased from Shuigang earlier. King Dail had been happy to see that the three were going to try and prove Lilac's innocence once again and that they believed she'd been corrupted like he had. Natalya had obligated against telling Dail that it was the Dark Stone that did it. She'd rather he think it was still gone for good. The night vision goggles were very powerful, able to see from far distances and the vision was very clear. The world they saw through them was all varying shades of green but everything was still easy to make out. Natalya had sighed when she'd seen that the Red Scarves were walking around Shang Tu. She had hoped never to see the very group she'd formulated again until they had been thrown behind bars. She hadn't spotted Spade anywhere though. Perhaps he was in the palace? If he was then she'd personally beat him up herself for ignoring her order to disband the group two weeks ago.

The dragon switched her goggles off and put them in a pocket inside her trademark leather long coat. She'd decided to put it on again in order to blend into the shadows easier. The long coat would make her silhouette harder to see in the dark of the night. Miguel and Lela put their goggles away too. They were dressed in black from head to foot. They both looked like burglars about to break into a house, or in Natalya's eyes, like stereotypical ninjas. The two hadn't thought they'd be wearing black again after the events that took place last Christmas. It made them think unpleasantly about their time as members of the Red Scarves. It seemed ironic that they were teaming up with their former leader and now trying to find a way past the Scarves themselves. The two waited for Natalya to speak, wondering what the dragon had in mind since the whole operation was her idea and she'd told the two to leave the planning to her. It made sense since Natalya had once been the leader of a criminal gang of thieves and assassins. Breaking and entering was one of her specialities. A few seconds of silence hung in the air before Natalya finally spoke.

"OK…it looks as if my beloved Lilac isn't leaving anything to chance…" the reformed dragon murmured, "She's got Red Scarves patrolling the streets and guarding the palace. I'm willing to bet there's even Red Scarves inside the palace. She definitely doesn't want anybody near her tonight…"

"I suppose that's a problem?" mused Miguel.

"Well not for me." Natalya gloated, "I could take all of the Red Scarves out with my bare hands. I once took on 200 soldiers in Shuigang during my…criminal life. I beat them all and walked away with only a shoulder wound."

"You're joking!" Miguel gasped.

"Ask the Red Scarves, they'll tell you the same thing." Natalya chuckled, "They saw me do it."

"So is the plan simply to just charge into Shang Tu and beat our way through the Red Scarves?" asked Lela curiously.

"Oh no, that'll alert Lilac to our presence." the black-clad Avalician said, shaking her head, "We need to get into the palace unnoticed. If Lilac knows that there's intruders coming, she might harm the staff of the Royal Palace…and possibly Carol and even Milla if she's got her too. She might even use them as hostage bait to make us back down."

"I hope Carol and Milla are alright…" Lela said as if suddenly remembering that the two were likely Lilac's prisoners since the dragon had been caught on camera holding Carol over the edge of the balcony earlier. If Lilac had harmed them both, it would be very hard for her to let it go, even if Lilac had been corrupted by the Dark Stone.

"I'm sure they will be." Miguel said reassuringly, "So Natalya, what's the plan to get inside the palace?"

"A relatively simple one." Natalya explained, "We'll sneak into Shang Tu, keeping well to the shadows so nobody sees us. Once we reach the palace, I'll knock the guards out and then we'll break inside. Once we get inside, you get Carol and Milla out safely and then I get Lilac. I'll give her a sharp blow to the head and then we'll take her to a doctors to see if they can find a way to remove the Dark Stone's energy. I want my adopted daughter back to normal…it pains me to see her this way."

"If all goes well dear then you'll get your wish." the female Basset hound said kindly, "Lilac will appreciate what you're doing for her."

"I'm sure she will." the dragon replied, "Well, let's go then you two. Remember your training when you were Red Scarves. It'll help you be stealthy and slip by unnoticed. Remember what I taught you."

The two hounds nodded. They hadn't enjoyed their times as Red Scarves but they still possessed the skills that Natalya had taught them during their time as members of the gang. They preferred not to use them but right about now, they were all too happy to put them to the test tonight. They wanted Lilac back to normal almost as much as Natalya herself. It worried them sick to think what Lilac might do to Milla now she was corrupted and evil. They wanted to make sure she was safe, and that meant doing whatever it took in order to do so.

With their plan formulated, Natalya and the hounds dropped down out of the tree and ran silently towards Shang Tu. The grassy meadow that led to the kingdom dampened the sound of footsteps so anybody who was listening out for them was very unlikely to hear them coming. They'd need absurdly good ears it they were to hear their footsteps and the three knew full well that the Red Scarves's hearing wasn't that advanced. Not even Spade's. Surely enough, the trio made it into the kingdom unnoticed and started creeping through the streets, deliberately choosing dark alley ways and heavily shrouded areas of the city so nobody would see them. Natalya was beginning to enjoy herself as she was going through with this. It strangely felt good to be doing something exciting again after two weeks of being locked up in prison. It was like being leader of the Red Scarves again, only Natalya wasn't interested in seizing the throne of Shang Tu. She was on the kingdom's side this time. And it felt good to be doing this for a good cause for a change. Natalya was already beginning to enjoy the life of a heroine, the life she would have lived had Memphis not ruined everything for her.

The trio made it past a good few houses but they knew full well that the Royal Palace was still many paces away. They'd take a few minutes to reach it at the very least. Maybe longer depending on how often they'd have to stop and hide. Natalya poked her head out from behind a two-storey house and observed her surroundings to see if the coast was clear. The street was dimly lit with street lights that emitted a yellow glow that didn't really flatter the city. There was nobody around. Smiling, Natalya crept forward and headed towards another house. Miguel and Lela followed them as quietly as possible. They had chosen not to wear any footwear as they thought walking around barefoot would make it less likely that their footsteps would be heard. Their soft paw pads cushioned any sound their feet made. Natalya still had her boots on but she was a master at stealth and thus, didn't need to cushion the sound of her footsteps. She was already good at making no sound when she walked. As soon as the trio had made it to the other house, a Red Scarf ninja walked by. He thought he'd seen a slight movement and although he was sure he had seen nothing, he went over to check anyway. He walked up to the house and poked his head around the corner. The last thing he saw before he was thrown into unconsciousness was a mauve coloured hand lashing out and seizing him by the face. He hadn't even felt the blow to his head that knocked him out. Natalya left the unconscious ninja lying against the wall and put a finger to her lips, warning Miguel and Lela to stay silent. The attack could have drawn attention. She looked around to see if any ninjas were coming. The team was lucky, there was nobody around and nobody had heard what had happened to the ninja.

With the coast clear, Natalya, Miguel and Lela pressed on. They moved swiftly from one building to the next, staying very close to the shadows and allowing moments between movements to stay still and keep a cautious eye out for danger. They made it to a noodle shop, the three picking up the sweet smell of sweet and sour sauce as they neared. Natalya glanced over the corner of the noodle shop and saw two Red Scarves armed with spears coming towards her. They hadn't seen her, her face was shrouded in shadows. They were keeping a careful look out and if they came any closer, they might see her. Lela however had an idea. She dashed around to the other side of the noodle shop and picked up a stone that was lying on the ground. She remembered a tactic she'd learnt from Natalya herself. The woman had taught her to use whatever you can to keep your enemy from finding you. She glanced over the corner as she saw the Red Scarves walk by the front of the shop. She then ran up to the end of the wall on her left side and threw the stone as hard as she could behind the Red Scarves's backs. The stone clattered onto the road three times before rolling to a noisy stop. The two ninjas had heard the noise and turned around to see what was happening. The sound had come from up the road so they ran to the spot to see what was going on. Seizing their chances, the three Avalicians ran away from the noddle shop and into another dark alleyway. Once they were hidden in the dark, Natalya gave Lela a thumbs up though the hound couldn't see it because of how dark it was in the alleyway.

"Well done." Natalya whispered, "That lesson was always one of my favourites to teach and you used it perfectly."

"Thank you." Lela whispered back, pleased with herself.

Miguel smiled at his wife. He wondered if he'd get a moment to shine like she had. He'd soon find out as the three crept out of the alleyway and ran towards another house. It surprised Natalya that they'd barely run into the Red Scarves so far. Had she just been incredibly lucky and was choosing places where they weren't? It was almost as if the Red Scarves were deliberately making sure they didn't come across her and were keeping out of her way. The dragon was pleased. Maybe this whole operation would go off without a hitch. It was the most she was owed at this point. The trio settled down behind the house and waited once again. Three Red Scarves walked by, oblivious to their presence. They had searched the house five minutes ago and wouldn't need to search it again. They carried on, looking for another place to search. Natalya and the hounds moved on again, reaching another house that faced the Royal Palace. It had taken them half an hour but they had finally reached the perimeter. They were staring ahead at the famous building itself, the very home of the Royal Magister and now the home of Lilac the Dragon Girl as she had taken it over. The grounds were surrounded by Red Scarves. Many ninjas were dotted around the perimeter of the palace. There were even guards at the door. There was no way in without the red-hooded mercenaries seeing them. Natalya observed them grimly.

"Any ideas on how to get past?" Miguel whispered.

"Unless we want to attract attention, no. I'm not sure how we'll get into the palace unnoticed given how heavily guarded it is." Natalya murmured, "If we could distract the guards somehow, that would be wonderful."

"What about the drainage tunnels?" Lela suggested, "Surely they'd take us inside the palace?"

Natalya rolled her eyes as if the hound had said something stupid.

"I blew them up two weeks ago remember?" she sighed, "There's no way we'd be able to get into the palace through them. They'd all be blocked!"

"We should know…we were nearly killed by the resulting cave-in until Milla saved our lives." Miguel mused.

"But surely they've been cleared out by now?" Lela blurted defensively.

"Not a chance. Nobody clears up a wreckage in a sewer THAT fast…" Natalya sighed, "Your plan won't work Lela…"

"So what can we do?" Lela asked desperately.

"The only thing we can do…" Natalya muttered.

She put a finger to her lips, ordering Miguel and Lela to be silent while she went and did something. The hounds obeyed, intrigued to see what Natalya's plan was. It wasn't obvious but they were sure she had some kind of plan in mind. The former crime boss stood up and marched out of the shadows towards the Red Scarves. Miguel and Lela stared incredulously at their comrade. What was she doing?! Wasn't she trying to get into the palace UNNOTICED?! She was advertising her presence to the gang! But the two canines kept their calm. Natalya obviously had a reason for this and it had to be part of her plan, whatever it was. The Red Scarves saw the leather-clad dragon walking towards them and they all stared in horror as if the very sight of their former leader was the most horrifying thing they had ever seen. Natalya somehow looked scarier than she'd ever looked before. Her face contorted with anger and she walked in a manner that suggested every single ninja was in for the chop any moment now. Natalya stopped and glared at the Red Scarves furiously.

"Well, well, well…what's this? My wonderful ninjas are still together and working as a criminal group?" Natalya snarled, "I explicitly ordered you all to disband two weeks ago. Why haven't you done so already?"

"S-S-S-Spade t-t-t-told u-u-us th-th-that y-y-you h-h-had a-a-abandoned us!" whimpered one ninja, "W-W-W-We d-d-didn't k-k-know of th-th-this o-o-order o-o-o-of y-y-yours!"

"So Spade lied to you all did he?" the dragon growled viciously, "Well just remember this Red Scarves! I am your master, not him! You do as I say and nothing more! When I order you to disband, I ORDER you to disband! Now get out of here and don't ever let me see your hideous faces again! If you don't do as you're told…I'll punish each and every one of you severely…including Spade! Do you want that to happen you disgusting criminals…?"

"You can't order us around anymore! Spade's our leader!" barked one of the Red Scarves, pointing a katana at Natalya, "Threaten us all you like, we're not going anywhere!"

The ninja didn't even know what had happened. One moment he was pointing his katana at Natalya. The next, he was lying on the ground face down with Natalya pressing her foot into the small of his back. The other ninjas recoiled in fright, amazed at how quickly Natalya had taken this one ninja down. Even Miguel and Lela couldn't believe how quickly things had happened. The dragon gave them all a frightening gaze that chilled the blood. She looked as if she'd come out of a nightmare and was about to consume everybody in sight.

"Listen…I'm a martial arts expert. There are a million different ways that I could kill each and every one of you right now, and you'd all be too slow to react as I unleash them on you." Natalya snarled, "And every single death I inflict on each of you will be quick, painless…and silent. Nobody will ever know what happened to you all. So unless you want to know how many methods I know that will kill you…get out of here. Tell the entire group to flee for the mountains and to never return. If you don't…then you won't live to regret your disobedience…this is NOT a hollow threat…"

The Red Scarves all shook with terror at the sight of their former leader. Never in their lives had they been so scared. Natalya had been a scary boss for them, but she'd never frightened them this badly. They no longer cared about Spade, Lilac, Memphis or even their mission. They only cared about one thing: survival. They wanted to get away from Natalya as quickly as possible. Bowing respectfully to the sinister woman, the ninjas quickly fled for their lives, almost expecting Natalya to suddenly bring them all down one by one. Natalya merely stood there and waited until the ninjas had all left. She smiled dryly to herself. There was a little part of her that felt glad to be able to be ruthless and threatening again. It was almost as if she was her old self. Except it had never been her old self, just a monster that had been unleashed after Dawn's horrific death at the hands of Memphis. Now that the coast was clear, Natalya whistled over to Miguel and Lela. The hounds ran up to her, impressed smiles on their faces.

"Wow, that was great!" Miguel cried out in amazement.

"You sure sent those puny ninjas running away with their tails between their legs!" Lela laughed, "I swear the look on their faces was worthy of being framed on the wall!"

"Thank you very much." Natalya said modestly, "I knew that the Red Scarves would turn tail and flee from me. They feared me when I used to be their leader so I used their fear of me to my advantage. And now we're in the clear."

"I sure hope we didn't wake anybody up in the palace…" Miguel murmured concernedly.

"We're about to find out…" Natalya mused, "Let's go inside and save my adopted daughter my friends."

Miguel and Lela nodded, eager to get the whole thing over with. They wanted Lilac saved and Carol and Milla free from whatever captivity they were likely in at this moment. With nobody to stop them, Natalya, Miguel and Lela ran towards the door and let themselves into the Royal Palace. For a moment, the trio allowed themselves to be amazed at the sight they were met with. They were standing in the hallway of the palace. The hallway was huge with a staircase that led to the upper floor of the building. The whole room radiated luxury from the materials used to make it to the polished floors and staircase banister. Natalya felt strange to be back in the palace so soon after being released. At least this time she wasn't going to be locked up in a cell. There were no guards in the hallway, something that made Natalya feel suspicious.

"Hmm…this is a little odd…" she whispered, "No guards. They must be hiding in less obvious places…"

"What should we do?" asked Miguel quietly.

"Split up." Natalya ordered, "I'll search up, you two search down. If you find Lilac, call me immediately. If you find Carol or Milla or both together, get them out of here immediately."

"Got it." Lela whispered.

The trio split up with the two hounds sticking to the ground floor and the dragon heading upstairs to the upper floor. Miguel and Lela headed towards a door at the end of the room and promptly opened it. They knew full well that they wouldn't find anybody in the hallway. They could see for themselves that it was empty aside from them. They opened the door and found themselves looking at a staircase that led down to a door with a barred window. They knew where they were. This was the dungeon. If Lilac was keeping Carol and Milla prisoner, they were likely in there. The two had found a good place to start looking. Miguel and Lela sneaked silently down to the dungeon door and Miguel reached forward to open it. He gripped the handle and tugged on it. The door didn't budge. It was locked just as he'd suspected.

"OK…how do we open this door?" Miguel muttered.

"I know." said Lela eagerly.

She walked up to the door and rapped on it as loudly as possible. Miguel stared at his wife as if she had gone crazy. What the heck was she doing knocking on the door?! What good would that do?! He soon realized his wife's plan for after Lela had loudly knocked, somebody stormed up to the door and inserted the key into the lock. The hound had suspected there would be guards inside the dungeon so she'd knocked to get their attention. And now they were opening the door for her and her husband. The door was unlocked and it swung open, revealing a furious Red Scarf ninja wielding a nunchaku. He didn't look particularly pleased to see the two former Red Scarves before him.

"What do you want?!" he snapped.

He didn't receive an answer for Miguel and Lela seized him and threw him hard against the wall. His head sharply knocked against it, knocking him out instantly. The ninja slumped against the wall and lay still. Miguel swiped his keys, knowing that he'd be needing them if Carol and Milla were indeed locked up in a cell down here. With nobody else in sight, Miguel and Lela sneaked into the dungeon and peered into the cells as they walked through the blockade. They even walked by Natalya's cell but didn't know for they didn't know which cell she'd been locked up in after she'd allowed herself to be arrested. They past a few cells before coming across a surprising sight. They'd found a couple of cells containing prisoners, but they weren't Carol or Milla. They were The Magister and General Gong. The two didn't look particularly pleased to be locked up in a cell each. Miguel went up to The Magister's cell and Lela went up to Gong's cell. The two looked up, surprised to see that they had visitors.

"Hi Magister." Miguel said brightly.

"How fortuitous…it seems that we've got help." The Magister murmured, his voice betraying any attempts at enthusiasm.

"You're the little dog girl's parents aren't ya?" asked Gong, staring at Lela as she looked at him through his cell door.

"We are and we're here to save Lilac from herself." Lela announced, "Natalya has worked out what's wrong with her. She's possessed by energy from the Dark Stone. She knows this because of her red eyes."

Gong felt as if he's been slapped across the face.

"Of course! That's it! How did we fail to work THAT out?!" he exclaimed, "It was dead obvious why the dragon girl was all crazy and demented! Nothing else could have done that to her!"

"We should have known that the Dark Stone wasn't destroyed…" The Magister muttered as if he was angry that he hadn't worked it out either, "The Kingdom Stone changed form when it was destroyed. It's now a swirling mass of stars and energy that keeps us living day after day. The Dark Stone was an ancient relic of the dragons so it should have been obvious it would have the same effect…"

"We couldn't have known." Miguel said casually, "Oh well, we know what's up with Lilac and we're going to save her. Hopefully we'll save her reputation too."

"I hope everybody believes us when we tell them what's wrong with her…" Lela sighed nervously.

The male hound nodded as he inserted the key into the lock of The Magister's cell and opened it. The door slid aside to let the captive royal out. Miguel handed the keys over to Lela and she opened Gong's cell. The panda gleefully ran out the moment his door opened, clearly delighted to be free.

"Ok, now we're free, what's the plan?" asked Gong curiously.

"Natalya's upstairs looking for Lilac." explained Lela, "She'll try and knock her out and then take her to a hospital so a doctor can see to getting rid of the Dark Stone Energy inside her."

"It's times like this where energy conductors would be useful…" The Magister mused, "If they weren't illegal, we could use one of them on her."

"But they are your Excellency so we can't use them." the panda said grimly.

"Either way, we have a plan and now we've gotta get outta here and see if Natalya requires any assistance." Miguel declared, "Sure she can take care of herself but Lilac's no slouch in a fight as we know..."

"I agree. Let's go and find her." Lela said, "Do you two wanna come?"

"I'll gladly help to save the dragon girl from the evil she's been subjected to!" Gong declared "But this is no place for The Magister. He should leave here so he doesn't get hurt."

"Indeed general." the royal Avalician agreed, "I'll leave the palace and wait until you've completed your mission. So I know that you've succeeded, come to the balcony and call down to me, I'll be waiting for you."

"Good idea your majesty." Miguel said brightly, "We'll see you later."

The Magister bowed to his rescuers and waited for a moment as the Bassets and General Gong left the dungeons. Once they'd gone, he left the dungeons himself and took the opportunity to leave the Royal Palace. Luckily for him, no Red Scarves were around. They were patrolling the other rooms of the palace, the grand hallway was unguarded. The firm but fair ruler just caught a glimpse of his loyal general and the two hounds running upstairs and disappearing through a door. Confident that they and Natalya would have every thing in under control, The Magister walked through the palace doors and left the palace behind. All that was left for him to do now was wait for the signal that Lilac had been subdued and everything was all right. He wondered for a moment how Lilac had even gotten some of the Dark Stone's energy in her. Had somebody put it in her? And if so...who had done it...and why...?

* * *

Upstairs, Natalya had roamed through the corridors and had looked in many of the rooms that the upper floor provided. She had come across a study, a library, the bathroom and a bedroom where she'd seen a sleeping Neera Li snoozing peacefully in her bed. She assumed there would be more bedrooms than one on the upper floor. She hadn't even seen The Magister's bedroom yet. The dragon roamed through another corridor, wondering what other rooms she would find in this huge palace. Why did royal people feel the need to make their habitats in huge, spacious environments? Didn't they ever get lost in these big places? Maybe not if they knew the layout well. As Natalya headed down the corridor, she passed a row of portraits on the walls that showed off previous Magisters that had ruled Shang Tu before the current one. Unlike the current Royal Magister though, these Magisters didn't conceal their faces. It was as if they had nothing to hide in comparison to their successor. One of the portraits showed the Magister that had last ruled Shang Tu before his successor took over. This Magister was clearly come kind of bird with protruding feathers on his face and a headpiece with two pieces protruding upwards, making him look like he had huge ears. He had a rather cold look in his eyes, just like his predecessors and his successor. Was this a trademark of The Magisters passed down from generation to generation? Why did none of them ever look friendly? Natalya shook her head, ignoring the portraits. She felt as if they were somehow watching her with their cold, hard eyes and that made her feel uneasy. She never understood why royal people felt the need to hang up pictures of their ancestors, even a large amount of them like they always seemed to. Did royal people just like the idea of their ancestors watching them roam from room to room from their framed portraits? Possibly.

Natalya made it through the corridor and came across another one that led down to a rather grandiose looking door with blue and gold paint and markings. The door looked too extravagant to be real. The Magister clearly wanted every inch of his home to look grand, even something as basic as a door. Natalya wondered what the door led to. She crept down the corridor...and threw herself down onto the floor as something suddenly whizzed towards her. The thing missed her by a mile and embedded itself into the floor. It was a card, an Ace of Spades. Natalya wasn't surprised to see it. She had expected her former second in command to be lurking up here. If Lilac wanted protecting then she'd obviously have the best Red Scarf on the upper floor. Spade the Panda emerged from the shadows and stood guard in front of the door. He had five cards in his hand, two jacks, two kings and one queen, and he prepared to throw them. Natalya stood up and glared at Spade, unable to believe he had the gall to dare challenge her.

"Too slow as usual Spade." Natalya sneered, "You missed."

"Well Natalya...long time no see." Spade muttered, "What's the matter? Got tired of hanging out with Lilac and her fuzzy buddies and decided to come crawling back to the Red Scarves?"

"Not in the slightest." the dragon growled, "I'm here to save Lilac from the curse of the Dark Stone's power! I assume YOU had something to do with it no doubt!"

"Wrong actually." the panda snorted, "Our client is responsible. You see, we're working for somebody and me and my buddies are just there to stain Lilac's image further, by making people think she's dabbling with us."

"Who is your client?" asked Natalya, "That wretched turtle who keeps bad-mouthing dragons?"

"You're an idiot if you think I'm telling you that!" snarled Spade, "All I'm saying is you'll never guess who it is!"

"Oh I'm pretty sure I do know who it is..." the red-eyed Avalician growled menacingly, "Now get out of my way Spade before I slit your throat!"

"You want Lilac? Then face me first traitor!" the ninja shouted, "I owe you a violent death for trying to disband us!"

"And I owe you a violent punishment for refusing to disband when I told you to..."

Natalya then suddenly lunged at Spade as if she'd been fired from a gun. Spade didn't even have time to react. He raised his hand but didn't get the chance to throw his cards as Natalya slammed into him and threw him against the door. The panda grunted in pain but he'd somehow managed to hold onto his cards. He threw them at Natalya but not a single one of them hit her. The dragon dodged them all with ease more graceful than Lilac could ever have hoped to achieve. Spade then decided to throw a punch at the reformed crime boss. His fist was aimed at her chest but he never hit home as Natalya grabbed his wrist and sharply twisted it to one side, numbing his hand. Spade screamed in pain and Natalya suddenly spun around on the balls of her feet and roundhouse kicked him onto the floor. The ninja cried out as he was hit. His head was swimming and his body ached in protest. He was committing suicide daring to fight Natalya! He knew he couldn't beat her. But he didn't want Lilac to be too angry with him if he failed so he refused to give up. Natalya headed for the door and was about to open it until Spade leapt up and grabbed her by the coat. He hauled Natalya backwards, nearly pulling her down onto her back. The dragon tugged back, wrenching her coat free from Spade's grip. She spun around and whipped the panda with her long, scaly tendril. Spade's head careened to one side, his cheek throbbing in agony as he was stricken. It was like being whipped, maybe even worse. Spade recovered and threw a kick that should have taken Natalya's let out from underneath her but the dragon had anticipated the move. She moved to the side and back-handed Spade in the nose.

"You forget Spade...I taught you everything you know. There isn't a move you have that I won't foresee. You're too predictable." the dragon gloated.

"You taught Lilac everything she knows and yet she still beat you!" the panda shouted, clutching his nose.

"Lilac is a dragon. She's going to be more potent than you are. Dragons are always the better fighters." Natalya crowed.

She then suddenly karate-chopped Spade in the solar plexus, winding him heavily and bringing him down onto his knees. Spade's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he passed out. Natalya smiled proudly. She'd never really been very fond of Spade so it felt good to be beating him up again. She still remembered how she'd brutally whipped Spade is punishment for trying to take over her position and ridiculing her. Natalya didn't regret it one little bit.

"All too easy..." the dragon gloated, "Now to see what's behind this door."

She walked by Spade's unconscious body and opened the door. Maybe this room was Lilac's bedroom and she'd be rewarded with the sight of her beloved dragon sleeping peacefully in her bed. Though the fight with Spade would surely have woken, especially since he'd shouted a few times. But as the dragon entered the room, she was briefly disappointed. This room wasn't a bedroom and Lilac wasn't in it. But she was pleased nonetheless. This was the throne room and she could see Carol and Milla chained to the throne by their wrists and staring at her, dumbfounded as if a miracle had just happened. They had been sleeping but the sound of the fight outside had woken them up and now they were seeing Natalya standing before them, looking pleased to see them. Natalya had found Carol and Milla and thankfully, the two were alive and seemed unhurt. How fortuitous a find this was! And how wonderful that Lilac hadn't hurt them! The dragon ran over to the astonished cat and dog, looking surprisingly eager to see them.

"Carol Tea! Milla Basset!" she exclaimed, "Thank goodness you're alright!"

"Hi Natalya." said Milla sweetly.

"How did you get in here?" asked Carol curiously.

"Me and the Bassets sneaked into Shang Tu and got past the Red Scarves." the dragon explained, "I fought Spade outside this room and now here I am."

"I'm glad you've come to save us." the wildcat said graciously, "I never thought there'd be a day where I'd actually be pleased to see you." she added, chuckling.

"Me too." laughed Milla.

"OK kids, hang tight for a moment, I'm going to get you free." Natalya said, drawing a dagger out from up her sleeve.

Carol had expected that. She knew Natalya very well, well enough to know that the dragon always hid a dagger up her sleeve. She was pleased to see she hadn't lost that trademark after her heel-turn. Natalya grabbed the chain linking Carol's shackles to the throne and she stuck the blade into it. She twisted the dagger several times until finally, the chain snapped in two and freed Carol from the throne. She did the same for Milla, the dog looking very grateful as Natalya cut her loose. The dog and cat picked themselves up and rubbed their wrists better.

"Thank you." Milla said happily, her tail wagging.

"Welcome." Natalya said kindly, "It feels good to be saving people...very good indeed." she added with a warm smile on her face.

"That's good to hear Natalya old girl." Carol said brightly, "So what are you here for? Did you hear about Lilac turning evil?"

"The news showed and told me everything." the dragon explained gravely, "But unlike the idiots who think she's turned evil, I actually know what the problem is. She's been possessed...by the Dark Stone's energy. There's no other way to explain her change in behaviour and her red eyes."

Carol and Milla stared incredulously at Natalya as if she'd said something crazy. The Dark Stone! Of course! What else could have corrupted Lilac so easily?! The purple gas that she'd been sprayed with was obviously energy from the Dark Stone itself! That was why she'd turned evil!

"Oh my gosh, that's it!" cried Carol, "Somebody's got the energy of the Dark Stone and sprayed Lilac with it!"

"It's true! Me and Lilac were looking for Carol and Lilac started coughing so I asked what was wrong and she said she'd been sprayed by a purple gas!" Milla piped, "The purple gas must by the Dark Stone's energy!"

"So I was right..." Natalya muttered, "Somebody must have gotten an energy conductor and absorbed the stone's energy. But who...?"

"Doesn't matter. Let's get Lilac and free her from the stone's power!" the wildcat cried out eagerly, "She's been corrupted by it already, she doesn't deserve to be corrupted by it again! Besides...she might become all monstrous again if that power gets any worse."

"No Carol, she'd have turned into a Dark Stone Dragon immediately if she got the Dark Stone's full power." Natalya said matter-of-factly, "But she hasn't. She's just got red eyes and a different personality. She hasn't been given a big enough dose of energy to become a Dark Stone Dragon. Just enough to mess up her mind..."

"Poor Lilac." Milla said sadly.

"But we're going to save her." the dragon declared, "We're going to get Lilac out of here and take her to a hospital so that a doctor can get the energy out of her. An injection might do the trick. Any ideas where she might be?"

"How about right here?!" snarled a familiar voice that made everybody jump about a foot into the air in surprise.

The trio turned their heads and got a nasty surprise. Standing before them, looking very angry, was Lilac the Dragon Girl. She had been asleep just moment ago but the fight between Spade and Natalya had woken her up. She'd gotten dressed and stormed down to the throne room, annoyed to see an unconscious Spade lying on the floor outside. Now she was in the room, glaring at Natalya, Carol and Milla and looking about ready to kill.

"So...somebody's broken into my palace and has freed my slaves huh?" Lilac snarled viciously, "Well I guess I'll have to punish you most horribly Natalya! Prepare to become an example of what happens to those who defy me!"

* * *

_**Oh dear...Natalya's been caught red-handed! Will she be able to stop Lilac and save her from what's been done to her? Or will Lilac have another slave? Find out next time...**_


	11. Chapter 11: Fighting For The World

_Chapter 11: Fighting for the World_

Natalya, former leader of the Red Scarves and now the foster mother of Lilac the Dragon Girl, had just found herself in a very familiar situation. She was now face-to-face with a very angry Lilac, the teen-dragon standing before her and looking about ready to unleash all hell on her. The last time this had happened had been outside the Caves of Malevolence, the hiding place of the Dark Stone. The fight hadn't ended in victory for either Lilac or Natalya at the time since the fight was just a distraction so Spade could get the Dark Stone and kidnap Carol. Natalya remembered how Lilac had broken her nose in the fight, something she was determined not to allow to happen again.

The dragon stood her ground as Lilac glared at her, Carol and Milla angrily. She was furious that she'd been woken up so abruptly but she was more furious at the fact somebody had just broken into her palace and unchained her slaves. She would make an example out of Natalya and show her what happens to those who defy her. She had taken over Shang Tu, she couldn't lose the kingdom now. The teen-dragon's fists clenched and her teeth gritted. Natalya wasn't fazed by the frightening gaze, she was used to those.

"Lilac my child…please stand down. You don't want to do this dear." Natalya said softly.

"Oh I don't do I?!" Lilac snapped angrily, storming towards Natalya menacingly, "Well then, explain why I don't wanna beat you to death for breaking into my palace and freeing my slaves! Nobody dares defy me and my rule! I'm the new Magister of Shang Tu and I demand respect!"

"Lilac, for god's sakes, listen to me!" Natalya screamed, "This isn't you at all! Knock it off! Fight the Dark Stone's power!"

"Yeah Lilac! You're stronger than this! Fight the curse! Destroy the corruption inside you!" Carol cried out.

"You're not a bad girl Lilac! You're the heroine of Avalice! You'd never hurt us or take over anybody's kingdoms!" Milla protested, "Please come back to us!"

"You have friends Lilac, friends who love you! Carol and Milla love you like a sister! And I…you know that I love you like a daughter!" Natalya cried, "I even wanted to adopt you and you said yes! You allowed me to become your new mother! Please Lilac…come back to us. Carol and Milla want their best friend back…and I want my adopted daughter back…"

She softened her expression and held out a hand as if expecting Lilac to take it. The dragon stood still and stared at her hand curiously. What was she up to? Natalya smiled warmly at her beloved Lilac.

"Please dear…do it for me…your friends…and for Dawn." the reformed crime boss said softly, "Your mother would be so heartbroken if she saw you like this. Don't dishonour her memory by letting the Dark Stone's evil power control you like this. You must fight it…and you must come back to us."

"Please Lilac! For us!" Carol begged.

"We love you and we want you back to normal!" Milla piped.

Lilac scowled at the trio before her, clearly annoyed with their begs and pleads. But as she took them in, something began to come over her. She was beginning to feel strange. It was as if somebody had pulled a plug in her head and the evil inside her was going down the drain. She was beginning to lose her villainous streak and horrible personality. She was beginning to feel less oppressive and was beginning to feel something she wasn't quite sure about. Was it regret? Regret over what she'd done? She slowly reached forward and touched Natalya's hand. Her eyes were still red but they looked a little less fearsome. They looked perplexed as if the dragon had no idea what was happening.

"My…friends…" she murmured, "Carol…Milla…Natalya…my friends…my adopted mom…"

"That's it you brilliant child! You're doing it! Good girl, keep fighting!" Natalya cried excitedly.

"You can do it!" Carol encouraged, "Come on!"

"I can…do it…fight off the evil…" Lilac mused, her voice sounding very far away.

But just as Lilac's positive side was beginning to come through, the Dark Stone Energy in her mind suddenly reacted. A sharp pain flared through Lilac's head as the stone's energy fought to keep control of her. Pain was something that could cause negative emotions and now Lilac was in pain, the Dark Stone Energy was beginning to feed off of her cries of agony. The dragon screeched in anguish.

"ARRRRGGGGHHHH! My head, it's killing me! Help me!" Lilac wailed.

"Calm down dear, you can do it!" Natalya insisted, "Don't let the Dark Stone's energy corrupt you! Fight it!"

"Come on Lilac! We believe in you!" Milla squealed.

Lilac tried to calm down but the pain was too much. She was in total agony and what was worse was that as she tried to think positively, the Dark Stone's Energy just hurt her all the more. It wasn't helping how as Lilac tried to think positively and push the evil energy out of her mind, she instead ended up with horrible, dark thoughts that flared her up with anxiety and despair. The memories of what she had done under the stone's evil influence two weeks ago were plaguing her mind, something that the Dark Stone Energy was playing off of beautifully. There were also the thoughts of the crowd lambasting her and doubting her and now the thoughts of what she'd done today. Harming Carol and Milla and imprisoning them, imprisoning The Magister and General Gong, making Neera Li dress casually to humiliate her and making an alliance with the Red Scarves. Those thoughts were enough to keep her under the stone's control. She couldn't fight off the evil with too many negative emotions and thoughts in her mind. Lilac gave up fighting and glared at Natalya again with her fearsome red eyes. Carol and Milla looked nervous, knowing that the dragon had failed to fight off her curse and was about to attack. Lilac seized Natalya by the wrist and threw her across the room with strength beyond what she was capable of. Natalya screamed loudly as she flew across the room and into a wall with a heavy thud. Lilac had never been that strong before! The Dark Stone's Energy had to be amplifying her strength. The dragon marched towards Natalya, her eyes full of death and hatred.

"Sweet-talking me will get you nowhere you sorry excuse for a dragon!" Lilac snarled, "You're not my adopted mom, Carol and Milla are my slaves and I'm soon to be Avalice's ruler! I'll rule the three kingdoms with an iron fist and no leather-clad woman is gonna ruin that for me now!"

Natalya picked herself up and gave Lilac a face that was a mixture of sadness and anger. Sadness over her poor, adopted daughter's failure to fight off the corruption in her mind and anger that Lilac had insulted her and that she now had to fight off her beloved teen-dragon. She had hoped never to fight Lilac again, especially for the late Dawn the Dragon Woman's sake. Sighing, Natalya adopted a battle-ready stance.

"I'm so sorry my child…but I'm going to have to fight you again…" the dragon said with tears in her eyes, "I don't like the thought of fighting my best friend's daughter again…especially now you're my adopted daughter. But so be it…I'll fight you if it means saving you from the Dark Stone's power."

"You're gonna be sorry you were born Natalya…" Lilac growled, "Tonight…you die!"

Screeching viciously, Lilac torpedoed towards Natalya at a speed that defied all belief and a speed that should have allowed her a clean hit on the woman. But Natalya knew Lilac very well. She had anticipated the move. After all, most dragons, especially female dragons, knew the Dragon Boost attack and it was commonly known that dragons could move fast. Natalya leapt out of the way, leaving Lilac to miss and slam straight into the wall. The scene looked quite comical, like a scene from a cartoon short. Natalya hesitated for a moment as Lilac stood away from the wall and rubbed her face better. She hoped that the young girl hadn't hurt herself too much. But Lilac quickly recovered and glared at Natalya as if disgusted at the fact she'd dodged her attack. Angered, the teen-dragon rushed towards Natalya and unleashed a Dragon Cyclone on her. She spun around like a spinning top and walloped Natalya repeatedly with her tendrils. Natalya grunted with every hit. It was like being whacked by a baseball bat repeatedly. In Natalya's eyes though, she'd rather take the bat.

Once Lilac's Dragon Cyclone had concluded, she kicked Natalya in the gut and knocked her down onto her back. The older dragon grunted as she hit the floor but she wasn't down for long. Lilac tried to launch another attack on her but Natalya swung her legs up and kicked outwards like a kangaroo. Her booted feet slammed into the teen-dragon's stomach, throwing her off her feet and winding her. Lilac fought for breath as Natalya sprang up onto her feet and rocketed towards her. The dragon recovered and just as Natalya had her hand raised and ready for a vicious chop across the head, Lilac lashed out and drove her fist straight into Natalya's chest just above the sternum. The leather-clad woman gasped as the wind was knocked right of her. She'd never been hit so hard before in her life. Even her broken nose at Lilac's hands hadn't been this hard and painful. For a terrifying moment, Natalya was struggling to breathe and she thought for a moment she was going to pass out. Lilac took advantage of this by spinning on the balls of her feet and kicking Natalya in the side of her head.

The dragon was thrown onto her side, her head spinning from the kick. It was much harder than any kick Lilac had thrown at her before. The Dark Stone's energy had to be amplifying her strength after all. There was no other explanation for Lilac's sudden power boost. Lilac advanced on Natalya and smirked wickedly, clearly pleased with herself. She was confident and in total control. The fight was hers. Carol and Milla watched, scarcely daring to breathe. Natalya couldn't lose now! She never went down so quickly! Natalya rolled onto her back and stared up at Lilac.

"Looks like I'm gonna win again." the corrupted heroine sneered, "Ha, ha, ha…I knew I would. You never had a chance against me Natalya! Never! Now you're gonna see Lord Brevon in hell where you belong!"

"I can't say I'm keen to go there yet…" muttered Natalya.

She then suddenly sprung up onto her feet and dropkicked Lilac in the forehead, throwing her backwards and sending her sprawling. The move had been so fast that Carol and Milla had barely seen it. It was almost as if Lilac had been smacked by thin air. The blow was more like being hit by a sledgehammer in Lilac's case. The teen dragon lay on her back, wondering what had hit her. She clutched her forehead in pain and rubbed it vigorously. Natalya walked towards Lilac, being extremely cautious for she knew Lilac could strike at any moment.

"Look at yourself Lilac! You're getting hurt senselessly and pointlessly!" the former villainess insisted, "You don't need to do this and get hurt so badly! Please cease your attempts to conquer the world and come back to us!"

Lilac forced herself back onto her feet and groaned as her forehead started throbbing. She glared angrily at Natalya.

"Why would I want to give up my attempts to conquer the world?!" she demanded, "I'm a dragon! I'm the superior creature! After all, it's thanks to a dragon that these three kingdoms we know and occupy exist! I deserve to rule them all!"

"Does THAT sound familiar?" Carol snorted sarcastically.

"But Lilac, you'll not get all the respect you want! People will hate you and rebel against you!" Natalya protested, "And punishing them won't stop them! You'll just make more enemies and get more people determined to overthrow you! I should know…I was blind enough to believe that by ruling Avalice, I'd have the world united and at peace. But I've seen that I was wrong…and now you need to as well!"

"You wasn't blind! You had the right idea!" Lilac screamed angrily, "You've just gone soft you have! Truly a disgrace to our proud race Natalya! I wanna rule these kingdoms and that's the end of it!"

"Wow, the Dark Stone Energy really has messed her up…" Carol muttered, sad to hear her friend saying those words to the very dragon who had once been as deranged as her.

"I sure hope Natalya can save her…" Milla said sadly.

The cat and dog watched as Lilac and Natalya circled each other, ready to launch another attack. The two were very silent and very tense, focused squarely on each other and nothing else. They were waiting for even the slightest excuse to attack. Natalya looked more relaxed and patient whereas Lilac looked as if she was about to spring at any moment now. The two stopped circling and stood still, waiting to spring. But then suddenly, Natalya looked over Lilac's shoulder and pointed ahead, looking very excited.

"Oh my gosh look, it's the Kingdom Stone!" she exclaimed.

Lilac turned around and glanced out of the window in Natalya's direction. The Kingdom Stone? Here? If it was here then she could try using its energy against Natalya and flatten her easily! But there was nothing there. No vortex of stars swirling around in the sky. It had been a trick and Lilac realized far too late that she'd fallen for it. Natalya zoomed towards her and uppercut the corrupted dragon in the chin, taking her up off her feet and sending her spiralling crazily through the air. Lilac cried out as she was sent flying and she crashed down heavily onto The Magister's throne. The throne withstood the impact. Natalya smirked mockingly at Lilac.

"I can't believe you fell for that…" she crowed.

Lilac picked herself up, her back aching from the impact. Before she could have a chance to attack, Natalya Dragon-Boosted towards Lilac. Unlike the dragon girl, she didn't leave a trail of sparkles behind when she unleashed her Dragon-Boost. Lilac just managed to take in the fact something was coming towards her before Natalya hit her and took her for a ride across the room. She slammed Lilac into a support post and leapt back as the dragon slid down onto the floor, dazed from the attack. The impact had left a neat imprint of herself on the post but it held firm. No need to worry about the roof falling on top of them. Lilac stood back, her face contorted with rage. She Dragon-Boosted towards Natalya, leaving behind a curious purple trail of sparkles instead of the white ones she usually had tail-ending her boosts. The Dark Stone's energy had corrupted not just her mind, but her attacks too. Natalya stepped out of the way as Lilac torpedoed towards her. She felt the wind rush by as Lilac missed her. But the dragon didn't crash into a wall again. She instead skidded to a halt and stopped herself with her boots making a loud squeaking sound as they slid across the smooth, polished floor. Lilac didn't look as if she was ready to give-up at this point. Her eyes were still full of rage and hatred at the older dragon.

Lilac waited a few seconds before making her next move. She had worked out that Dragon-Boosting into Natalya wasn't going to do her any favours. She just couldn't hit him. So Lilac began thinking of how to take Natalya out without using her strongest move. The dragon had plenty of moves she could use on her opponent that would still swing the fight in her favour. She hadn't lost yet, far from it. Lilac ran towards Natalya and then made her move. She leapt up into the air and came spiralling towards the leather-clad dragon in another Dragon Cyclone attack. Natalya jumped aside, hoping to dodge the attack but the Dragon Cyclone was an attack that didn't just go straight forward. Lilac made a U-turn and came spinning towards Natalya in a purple blur. The dragon didn't have time to dodge as her opponent collided into her, her trademark twin tendrils battering her mercilessly. Natalya cried out, each wallop of the tendrils feeling like a heavy punch to the face on her, and Lilac concluded her attack by upper-cutting Natalya in the face with a flick of her tendrils. The dragon stumbled backwards but didn't fall down. She regained her balance and lowered her head. Lilac ran towards her with both fists raised and ready to punch Natalya in the face. The mauve dragon reacted first, charging into Lilac like a wild bull. Her head slammed into the lilac dragon's gut, causing her to double over and the blow was so powerful that it knocked Lilac off of her feet. The teen-dragon felt as if she'd been slugged by a caveman's club. She lay on the floor, writhing in pain and clutching her stomach tenderly. Natalya stood over Lilac, her fist raised and aiming straight at her head. It would be quick and painless. A simple blow to the head that would knock her precious Lilac unconscious and prevent her from resisting as she, Carol and Milla escorted her to a hospital to remove the energy from her mind. Once Lilac was saved, she would hunt down the demon who had done this to her adopted daughter and slaughter him or her for the wicked deed.

But just as Natalya swung her hand down, Lilac suddenly rolled out of the way. Natalya's hand ended up slamming down onto empty space, pain flooding up her hand from the impact. The dragon winced but held her pain. She'd been hurt much, much worse before, this was nothing. Lilac leapt up onto her feet and began unleashing a rapid round of fisticuffs on Natalya. The dragon blocked the other dragon's attacks with her arms held in an X shape as Lilac threw punches rapidly at her. She was trying to mimic Carol's trademark attack but Natalya could see from the way the attack was being executed that Lilac wasn't used to using her hands the way Carol did. Her hands moved much slower than Carol's, meaning the blows were a lot less heavy then the dragon hoped they would be. But Lilac was mostly intending to distract Natalya than hurt her badly. Her hands hammered onto the dragon so much that Natalya couldn't attack back. This gave Lilac the opportunity of a life time. She stopped punching Natalya and Dragon-Boosted straight into her just as she lowered her arms and prepared to attack. Lilac hit Natalya in the torso and slammed her into a wall as if she was a cannonball that had been shot at her. The wall cracked from the impact and Natalya was left to slump onto the floor, wondering what on Avalice had just hit her. Lilac leapt back, pleased to finally have hit Natalya with her strongest attack. Natalya picked herself up, coughing heavily but looking very much like she was still willing to go on. The former criminal had tremendous stamina, it would take a while for Lilac to tire her out. The teen-dragon smiled confidently at Natalya, clearly believing that she was on top and that she was going to win.

"You're very good…" Natalya complimented, "I never thought of doing that before in any of my battles."

"I'm not just a pretty face you know." Lilac sneered, "So do you give up?"

"Not until we get the Dark Stone's energy out of your head my dear…" the mauve dragon said gravely.

"I have no idea what you're on about crazy woman." the lilac dragon snapped, "But I can promise ya this, you're gonna be begging for mercy when I'm finished with you!"

"Funny…I don't even know how to do that." Natalya scoffed.

That remark seemed to annoy Lilac for some reason. Her face contorted with loathing and Natalya could swear that it was slowly beginning to turn red. Then suddenly, Lilac struck. She Dragon-Boosted towards Natalya but the dragon had been so taken aback by Lilac's reaction that she hadn't even had time to dodge. The charging dragon slammed into Natalya like a bowling ball and she sent the stricken woman slamming into the wall once again. The wall cracked even more and bits of plaster began to sprinkle down on top of Natalya. The dragon grunted, annoyed that she'd allowed herself to be hit by another Dragon-Boost. She couldn't let this happen otherwise Lilac would well and truly beat her. Lilac uncurled from her ball and prepared to punch Natalya in the nose. The elder dragon dodged the attack and grabbed Lilac's arm. She twisted it sharply, numbing Lilac's hand and making her cry out in pain. Natalya then wrapped her arm around Lilac's neck, trapping her in a choke hold. She intended to press her arm hard enough against Lilac's neck to make her pass out so she could finish this once and for all. But Lilac wasn't going to give up to easily. She slammed the back of her head against Natalya's face three times in an attempt to make her let go. Natalya grimaced as she was hit but fought to keep her grip. Lilac then suddenly reached over her shoulder and jabbed Natalya in the eye with two fingers. Even somebody was strong and endurable as Natalya wasn't immune to the searing pain one receives when jabbed in the eye. The dragon screeched in agony and let go of Lilac to rub her eye better. Now released, Lilac turned around and socked Natalya in the mouth. Because Natalya was very close to the wall, her head shot backwards the punch and hit the wall, momentarily distorting her.

With Natalya in a slight daze, Lilac was free to whale on her as much as she wanted. She punched Natalya three times in the gut, once in the chest and then in both shoulders. The poor dragon didn't even get chance to block her attacks as she fought to stay conscious. Lilac then roundhouse kicked Natalya away from the wall and sent her skidding towards the throne. Natalya slid across the floor, wincing from her injuries and she came to a stop just in front of it. She forced herself up, using the throne for support and panting heavily. Lilac didn't let her rest. She curled up into a ball and Dragon-Boosted towards Natalya for a third time. The dragon hadn't even heard Lilac coming as the dragon slammed into her, squashing her against the backrest of the throne and breaking it clean off. Natalya and the backrest both sprawled across the floor and came to a stop just outside the balcony. The dragon woman grunted and tried desperately to force herself back up. But she could only manage to get herself up onto her knees. She felt very weak and like she just wanted to lie down and rest. But she couldn't, not with Lilac still ready to beat her to death. She stared ahead as Lilac prepared to charge at her again. She wouldn't be able to dodge another Dragon-Boost, not while she was in this state. She'd be much too slow. Lilac bent down, ready to strike. Her face radiated confidence and triumph. She was winning and she was going to finish this fight off once and for all.

"You really shouldn't pick fights with people you can't beat." she gloated.

She then curled into a ball and Dragon-Boosted towards Natalya. But that one moment of pausing to gloat had given Natalya enough time to dodge the attack. She was already pushing herself to the side as Lilac came rocketing towards her. As Lilac neared, Natalya raised her foot and hit the speeding dragon. This sent Lilac hurling up into the ceiling like a football that's been kicked up too high. She hit the ceiling, causing bits of it to sprinkle down onto the floor and smash into pieces. The impact was shockingly loud, making Natalya cringe and worry if she'd caused Lilac to severely hurt herself. Carol and Milla both winced, wondering how much that had hurt Lilac. The dragon fell free from the ceiling and fell down towards the floor. Natalya reacted quickly, throwing herself into Lilac's path so she could catch her and save her. If Lilac hit the floor, she'd be dead. The impact would fracture enough bones to finish her off. They couldn't save Lilac if she was dead. Natalya just managed to catch Lilac in her arms as the dragon fell into them. The two dragons sprawled across the floor with Lilac rolling out of Natalya's arms and coming to a stop just a few inches from her. She quickly picked herself up, showing no real signs of injury or fatigue despite what had happened. That relived Natalya. She didn't want to save Lilac with the girl having a few broken bones. Lilac growled angrily at Natalya as if thinking she'd tried deliberately to get her killed and she ran towards her. Natalya picked herself up and whipped Lilac across the face with her tendril. Lilac's head snapped to the side but she quickly recovered. She had more strength than Natalya for she hadn't been weakened so badly yet. Lilac punched Natalya in the face and then kicked her in the stomach. As Natalya doubled over, Lilac then thumped the woman callously on the head with her fist. This knocked Natalya down onto the floor and left her vulnerable for another attack. Smirking wickedly, Lilac raised her foot and prepared to slam it down on Natalya's head. She would crush her skull and kill her instantly.

But Carol and Milla had finally decided they'd had enough of standing around waiting for Lilac to lose. They had to help Natalya and fast. Milla summoned a green block to her hands and threw it at Lilac as she raised her foot. The dragon saw it coming towards her in the corner of her eye but had no time to dodge it as it slammed into her. It was like being hit by a car, only far less painful and damaging. Lilac landed down heavily onto her side, grimacing as she fought off the pain from the impact. With Lilac momentarily down, Carol and Milla scampered over to Natalya and helped her up. The dragon stared at the two with a rather heartfelt smile on her face.

"You…you saved my life…" she gasped.

"Consider it a token of thanks for turning good." Milla said graciously, "You're very welcome."

"You wanna save Lilac so we're returning the favour." Carol said with a wink, "Now how's about we stop Little Miss Corrupted Pants together? Whadda ya say?"

"I think it's a great idea." Natalya said approvingly.

Carol and Milla beamed, thrilled to get the chance to help get their friend back to normal. Lilac picked herself up, glaring angrily at her opponents. She seemed livid to see that Carol and Milla were by Natalya's side and ready to take her out. She'd show them why they should know better than to dare mutiny against her. She clenched her fists and prepared to fight. Her eyes were like pools of fire, waiting to leap out and burn her opponents to a crisp.

"So Carol and Milla, you're betraying me and siding with Natalya!" she snarled, "Well I've got a big punishment in mind for you two disobedient slaves!"

"Save it Lilac! We're gonna get that evil brew out of your head and then you'll be turned back to normal and this nightmare will be over!" Carol declared, "Now how about you make our job easier for us?!"

"Please Lilac, don't make us have to fight you again!" pleaded Milla.

"I'm not backing outta this one!" the corrupted dragon growled, "I'm keeping my title as Magister and I'm gonna show you what happens if you don't give me the respect I deserve!"

Before she could make any moves at all, something big, round and metallic suddenly shot out of nowhere and hit Lilac in the side, hurling her to the side like a felled tree in a storm. The metal thing landed with a clatter onto the floor and Carol quickly picked it up. It was quite heavy and very, very large. It was a shield. But not just any shield. It was General Gong's shield! Natalya, Carol and Milla turned and saw a very surprising sight before them. Miguel, Lela, Gong and Neera Li were all standing by the doorway, looking pleased to see the trio. Miguel, Lela and Gong had decided to fetch Neera to help them save Lilac. They had quickly explained to her that the Dark Stone's energy was the reason Lilac had turned evil. Neera has suspected this herself and hadn't been surprised at all. She was back in her normal attire now and looking much more comfortable as a result. She still didn't have her ice sceptre though. Lilac had hidden it and likely wouldn't be willing to tell her where it was anytime soon. Milla was ecstatic, already scampering over to her parents and throwing herself into their arms.

"Mommy! Daddy! You're here too!" Milla squealed happily.

"Oh my precious baby!" Lela exclaimed, embracing her daughter happily, "Of course we came!"

"After hearing what had happened on the news, we and Natalya planned to come here and save Lilac." Miguel explained softly, "We've been in the dungeons getting Gong and The Magister free and we've also recruited Neera Li so she can help us save Lilac."

"It hurt me to have to throw my shield at her but it'll be worth it when we get that head of hers emptied of all Dark Stone Energy!" Gong declared.

"Lilac's selflessly put herself above others on many occasions and has done amazing things for our world. We owe her that much." Neera said, "We're gonna save her this time."

"And with all of us together, Lilac has no chance of winning!" Carol declared, "She's as good as saved with all of us fighting against her."

"Indeed so." Natalya said happily.

Lilac picked herself up and found herself staring at a large bunch of Avalicians ready to fight her and take her down. There were seven of them in total, all staring at her and looking eager to take a shot at her. Of course, they were eager because they wanted to get the energy out of Lilac's head and restore her to normal. The dragon didn't see it that way though. She saw usurpers just wanting to throw her off of the throne of Shang Tu. She wasn't going to let them overthrow her without a fight though. She was going to take them all out if she had to.

"So I've got a little band of anarchists mutinying and rebelling against me…how very droll…" the dragon snarled, "Well then…I'LL TAKE YOU ALL ON!"

Snarling with rage, Lilac curled up into a ball and Dragon-Boosted towards the band of Avalicians she was now up against. Carol still had Gong's shield in her hands and she quickly held it up to defend herself as Lilac came speeding towards her like a dragster. The wildcat braced herself, knowing that the impact was going to be very hard when Lilac hit. The dragon slammed into the shield and sent Carol flying backwards. The cat even felt the shield shudder against her arms as Lilac hit it. But the shield had done its job. It had protected her from the attack. Carol landed on her back but she was otherwise unhurt. She picked herself up and threw the shield back over to General Gong. It was too heavy for her to use as a weapon so she decided to let Gong have it back. The panda caught it just in time to raise it and block a Dragon Cyclone attack from Lilac. He could feel the girl's whippy tendrils slamming vigorously against the shield. But hit it as hard as she could, Lilac couldn't damage it in anyway. The shield was too tough. Once Lilac's Dragon Cyclone had finished, Gong swung his arm and walloped the dragon with the shield. Lilac grunted as she was hit and fell down onto the floor, wondering which part of her to rub better first. It felt like being hit by a solid metal bar. Lilac stood back up only to then be tripped up by Neera Li as the panda slid across the floor and took her legs out from underneath her. Despite knowing that Lilac had been corrupted by the Dark Stone's energy and wasn't evil under her own volition, she still felt as if she needed to pay her back for making her dress in scant clothing earlier. Lilac hit the floor, groaning in annoyance as she forced herself back onto her feet. She wasn't going to lose this fight! Not now! She'd beat them all if she had to tear the palace apart in order to do so.

The furious dragon waited for Neera Li to stand back up before throwing herself at the priestess and pile-diving her in the back. Neera cried out in surprise as she was hit and she slammed down onto the floor front first, grimacing from the impact. Lilac pinned her down and then sharply twisted the panda's arm behind her back, making her screech loudly. But Neera wasn't down for long. Milla summoned a green block to her hands and threw it at Lilac, hitting her squarely in the back and making her flinch instinctively. The dragon turned around, releasing her grip on Neera as she glared at Milla. She leapt up onto her feet and Dragon-Boosted towards Milla. The dog summoned a green energy shield to her hands and blocked the attack, wincing as she felt the weight of her friend slamming against the shield. Lilac's attack was powerful enough to push Milla back, but not enough to break through the shield. Once Lilac's Dragon-Boost had ended, Milla fired a blast of energy from her shield and sent Lilac reeling backwards. It was like she'd been punched in the face only not by a fist but by energy. With Lilac momentarily distracted from the pain of Milla's attack, Miguel and Lela seized the opportunity to double-team her. They ran up behind Lilac and kicked her in the back, throwing her down onto the floor heavily. The two took a moment to feel sorry that they'd had to do this to Lilac before running towards her and attempting to make another move. But Lilac rolled over onto her back, raised her legs up and kicked both Miguel and Lela in the groin. The two hounds screamed in agony and collapsed onto their knees, clutching their groins and willing the pain to go away. Lilac leapt back onto her feet and was about to attack the two stunned hounds when suddenly, Carol threw herself at the dragon and tackled her down onto the floor.

The two found themselves in a mad case of roly-poly as they sprawled across the floor, tumbling over one another continuously before finally coming to a stop near the balcony. Both combatants picked themselves up and Carol threw a terrific punch at Lilac's face before she could react. The punch sent Lilac reeling backwards and in order to make sure the dragon couldn't hold her over the edge of the balcony again, Carol decided to take the fight away from it. She roundhouse kicked Lilac and sent her hurling backwards away from the balcony. She landed just near the destroyed throne. Growling in annoyance, Lilac stood back up and waited for Carol to come charging at her again. The wildcat did just that but the dragon had an idea. She picked up the broken off backrest of the throne and kicked it towards Carol, sending it sweeping through the air and slamming straight into her. To Carol, it was like she'd been hit by an oncoming train. The backrest knocked her down onto the floor and the wildcat was left lying there wondering which way was up. Lilac smirked confidently at Carol but her smirk quickly disappeared as Natalya sneaked up behind her and elbowed her in the back. Lilac cried out and spun around, swinging her fists at the elder dragon. Natalya ducked and then uppercut Lilac in the chin, sending her head snapping backwards and nearly throwing her off balance. Lilac managed to keep herself from falling over but not for long. As she regained balance, Natalya kicked her in the stomach and brought her down onto her knees. Lilac winced in pain and Natalya prepared to knock her out once again. But Lilac recovered fast enough to dodge as Natalya swung her fist sideways towards her head. The moment Natalya missed, Lilac lashed out and socked the dragon in between the eyes just above the bridge of her nose. The trench-coated Avalician stumbled backwards, reeling from the punch but before the younger dragon could hit her again, Milla ran forward and threw another energy block at Lilac. The block slammed into the dragon and threw her down onto the floor. Lilac forced herself to stand back up only to then by pummelled by General Gong as the heavyweight panda lumbered towards her and threw a punch at her. Lilac was thrown backwards by the punch and she soon found herself being pile-dived by Neera Li once again. The she-panda positioned herself behind Lilac and kicked her towards the entrance. Lilac crashed into the closed door and winced in pain. She steadied herself against the door, panting and gasping. She was beginning to feel weaker and like she wouldn't be able to go on much longer. She couldn't win this fight, not by a long shot. She had to think of a way to win this. The seven Avalicians all advanced on the corrupted dragon, ready to subdue her at long last. Natalya was at the front of the team.

"You've lost Lilac. You can't take us all on." the dragon insisted, "So just make it easy on yourself and surrender. We promise we won't hurt you too much. We just want to subdue you so we can restore you to normal."

"You'll never take me alive!" Lilac exclaimed angrily.

With that said, Lilac suddenly wrenched the door open and darted through it, closing it behind her as she ran. Natalya stared, bewildered at what had happened. What was Lilac trying to do now? Was she attempting to flee? They couldn't let her get away, not while they were so close to saving her. The gang ran to the door, opened it and chased after Lilac down the corridor. They all ran by Spade's still unconscious body as they ran after the dragon. Their footsteps woke him up, the ninja panda groaning groggily as he came back into consciousness. Spade sat up and stretched, wondering what was happening. He then caught sight of Natalya and the others running down the corridor. What were they after? It didn't matter. Spade would rather not stick around so they could arrest him. Seizing his chance, he boosted off down another corridor, leaving green after images behind him as he fled, and he headed on out of the palace. He'd gather the Red Scarves up and then they'd leave Shang Tu. He wondered what Memphis would think to what was going on...

As Lilac fled down the corridor, she already knew what she had to do in order to win this battle. She'd hidden Neera Li's ice sceptre in the last place that anybody would think to look...under her own bed. She had slept in The Magister's room before being woken up earlier and had hidden the sceptre under his bed in case of emergencies. She'd hidden it under there without Neera Li knowing and now she was going to use the sceptre to freeze her rebels and keep a tight hold on her precious throne. They thought they'd beaten her, but they were very wrong. Lilac reached The Magister's bedroom and flung the door open. A surprising sight met her eyes as she walked into the room. There was somebody standing before her wearing a red robe and carrying a cane of some sort. The figure's face was concealed by a huge, oversized hood. How had he got in here? Lilac soon realized for she noticed that the curtains to one of the windows were open and flapping gently in the night breeze. The figure had obviously climbed up the wall somehow and let himself in through the window. The dragon's red eyes scowled at the intruder.

"Who the heck are you?!" she demanded.

The figure didn't answer. He instead just aimed his cane at Lilac and pressed a button on it. At first, it seemed nothing happened and Lilac wondered what the cane was supposed to do. But then suddenly, a trail of purple mist started to reach out from her head and back into the cane's tip. It was as if the cane was snatching the Dark Stone Energy straight out of her head. The dragon cried out as she felt the evil energy escaping from her brain and being sealed away in this stranger's cane. She knew what was going on. The intruder had an energy conductor. But how? They were illegal! He couldn't possibly have one! But he did and was now using it to take back the Dark Stone Energy that he'd sprayed into her. The whole process lasted a few seconds and as the last of the energy left Lilac's head, the overwhelmed girl collapsed onto the floor. She wouldn't be unconscious for long though. The figure smiled to himself and then proceeded to leap out of the open window before anybody could see him. The moment he disappeared, Natalya and the gang caught up to Lilac and ran into the bedroom. They saw a very surprising sight as they entered. Lilac was there just as they'd hoped she would be but she was lying on the floor and unconscious. What had happened to her? Carol ran over to her friend, her face full of concern.

"Lilac?" she asked worriedly, "Are...are you OK?"

She shook her friend lightly, hoping to wake her up. Luckily for her, Lilac did just that. Her eyes opened up and she mumbled groggily to herself. Carol noted with delight that the dragon's eyes had returned to normal. They were no longer red, they were their natural pink colour. Lilac sat up, her head spinning and a sick feeling in her stomach as she came back to reality. The Avalicians held their breath, wondering if Lilac had miraculously been cured. The dragon looked at them sleepily.

"Ooooh man...what a nightmare..." she muttered, "What happened...?"

"Lilac!" Carol squealed, "Holy galoshes, you're back to normal! Yippee!"

"I...I am?" Lilac asked quizzically, "What happened to me like?"

"You don't remember dear?" asked Natalya softly, kneeling down so she could embrace her adopted daughter.

"Well...I don't think so...all I can remember is being sprayed by purple gas and..."

Lilac's face suddenly went pale as she realized that she actually did remember what happened. It all came back to her. Her turn to evil, her takeover of Shang Tu, her harsh treatment of Carol and Milla, her demands to the world and her desire to take out anybody who rebelled against her. She even remembered nearly killing Natalya by stomping on her head before Milla intervened. Lilac's face fell and tears began to trickle out of her eyes. She felt utterly dreadful, worse than when the Dark Stone had been used on her two weeks ago.

"Oh no...oh no!" she wailed, "I turned evil and subjugated the Royal Palace! I locked up The Magister and Gong, chained Carol and Milla up and made Neera Li my servant girl! I even demanded that Shuigang and Shang Mu give themselves up to me! Oh no...my reputation's pretty much destroyed at this point! Everybody's gonna hate me and demand my punishment! Oh how am I gonna make up for all of this?!"

"Sssh, sssh, it's OK Lilac dear. Don't panic." Natalya said kindly, hugging her sobbing daughter tenderly and stroking her tendrils, "We know what happened to you and now we can tell everybody what happened. Somebody corrupted you with energy from the Dark Stone. They'll understand.

"I...I hope they do..." Lilac sobbed.

"Speaking of which, how did you get back to normal?" asked Carol curiously.

"I don't know...I...I honestly don't know..." the dragon mused.

"I guess somebody had an energy conductor and used it on you to get rid of the energy." Neera suggested, "But who? And why has he or she not stuck around to receive our thanks?"

"This is very puzzling indeed..." Gong murmured, "I have a feeling that things are not what they seem..."

"Indeed." Natalya agreed, "Well, let's go and find The Magister and let him know that you're back to normal Lilac."

"Yeah...let's do that." Lilac said, wiping away her tears, "Still, I hope I didn't hurt any of you guys too much when I was corrupted...especially you carol." she added, glancing over at her best friend, "I'll never forgive myself for holding you over the balcony and threatening to drop you..."

"Lilac, don't sweat it. It's OK. It wasn't you who did that, it was the Dark Stone's Energy that did it." the wildcat said softly, her face carrying a sympathetic, heartfelt smile, "You're blameless in all of this Lilac. Don't be so hard on yourself."

"I...I won't. Thank you." Lilac said appreciatively, smiling at her best friend.

Carol beamed, glad to be of help for her draconian comrade. But then suddenly, somebody ran up towards the bedroom and glanced in to see what everybody was doing. It was The Magister. Everybody turned to see the blue-robed Avalician and were surprised to not only see him, but see him looking so frantic. His eyes were wide in shock as if he'd just witnessed his own death and had seen his grave. He looked disturbed about something.

"My friends..." he murmured, his voice still flat and stoic, not quite matching his facial expression, "It appears we have a problem. There is an angry mob outside...and they're demanding Lilac's head on a platter. Timothy Turtle is leading them."

The Avalicians gasped in horror. No, this couldn't be happening! Not now! Not while Lilac had only just been restored to normal! But then again, maybe they could tell everybody that was what had happened, Lilac was now back to normal and was ready to make up for what she'd done. They supposed that the mob had indeed picked the perfect time to arrive. Lilac breathed in deeply and let it out again.

"Very well...let's show the mob that I'm back to normal." she declared, "They'll believe me."

"It's good to see that you're no longer corrupted dragon blood." The Magister said briskly, "How did it happen?"

"I can't remember." Lilac admitted, "But we can just say that my friends literally beat the energy out of me. They'll buy it hopefully."

The Magister nodded, not sure if he believed that the angry crowd outside would buy it. With no other choice, Lilac and friends walked out of the bedroom and downstairs. Before that though, Lilac quickly reached under the bed and gave Neera Li her sceptre back. She had a feeling the priestess might need it if the crowd got too wild. Neera was grateful to have the sceptre back in her hands and she smiled appreciatively at Lilac. Lilac smiled back and then headed on down to the bottom floor. As soon as she and the others reached the bottom floor, Lilac swallowed nervously as she opened the door and stepped outside. Just as The Magister had said, there was a large crowd outside the palace. The whole populace of Shang Tu had emerged from their houses and were raving like maniacs. Their shouts made the dragon feel deathly nervous and Lilac could see that they didn't seem to be in any mood to listen. Some of them had signs saying "Down with Dragons!" and "Death to the Traitor!". One sign even said, "Punish all Dragons before they punish us!" The signs made Lilac's heart ache with despair. And to think there was once a time where she would be praised and beloved before this whole business had happened. Timothy Turtle was in front of the crowd, looking extremely angry as usual. He had been the one to rile up the crowd and bring them here. He held up his cane for silence and the crowd obeyed. Their shouts died away into nothing and a tense silence fell over Shang Tu. Then Timothy barked.

"What a fortuitous turnout this is!" he exclaimed, "The Magister has gathered together a band of rebels and has now captured the traitor you see before you! Now she can be punished for her immoral actions!"

The crowd cheered, thinking that what Timothy had said was true. But their cheers were quickly silenced as The Magister held up his hands hastily. The crowd stared at their ruler, wondering what he was going to say.

"I'm afraid you are mistaken." The Magister said, "Lilac has not been arrested. You see...we've been wrong the whole time. Lilac was not acting under her own orders. She was corrupted by energy from the Dark Stone. What she did was the Dark Stone's doing."

"And you have proof of this?!" growled Timothy challengingly.

The Magister froze. He didn't have proof at all! How could he convince the crowd that Lilac was innocent now? It seemed Lilac was ready to do so herself. She stepped forward, the crowd glaring at her intensely.

"It's true! Honest!" Lilac cried out, "I was looking for Carol in the forests of Dragon Valley earlier and somebody sprayed me with purple gas! The gas was Dark Stone Energy and it turned me evil!"

"Did none of you people see her red eyes like?" Carol asked.

The crowd didn't buy the story for one minute. None of them had seen Lilac's red eyes for she'd been high up on the balcony when speaking to them.

"You're a liar!" yelled one crowd member.

"Yeah! You can't fool us!" yelled another citizen.

"The Dark Stone was destroyed!" Timothy barked, "How could the stone's energy possibly have corrupted her?! It's a lie and the fact the Royal Magister himself believes this ridiculous story beggars belief! There's a conspiracy against our kingdoms and he's in on it! He's working with Lilac to undermine our peace and serenity and he wants Shang Mu and Shuigang under Lilac's control just like his own kingdom! I bet he even LET Lilac take over Shang Tu! Or even worse...I don't think Lilac even took it over! I bet The Magister gave her the kingdom and is allowing her to carry out her evil plans!"

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" bellowed Lilac.

"Oh yes it is you disgusting dragon!" Timothy snarled, "You're throwing your lot in with Natalya, the leader of the Red Scarves herself might I add, you've taken Shang Tu and demand Shang Mu and Shuigang to give themselves up to you and you're with the Red Scarves! You told them to break Spade out of prison and many people saw them patrolling the kingdom, obviously intending to protect you!"

"Please listen, you've got it all wrong, I can explain everything!" Lilac begged.

"Shut your mouth you evil creature!" snapped the crowd in unison.

"Lilac is a criminal, a dictator and a traitor! She's no saint and we demand that she be punished for her actions!" the old turtle bellowed, "If The Magister ISN'T in on Lilac's plans, then she must be punished! Go on Magister, punish that dragon! Prove that you're on our side! PUNISH THE DRAGON!"

"Pun-ish the dragon! Pun-ish the dragon! Pun-ish the dragon!" the crowd chanted repeatedly.

Lilac stared at the crowd helplessly. Everybody was against her and nobody believed for a minute that she was innocent. Worse still, they were accusing The Magister of siding with her and being part of a non-existent conspiracy. How could they believe all of this?! Why did nobody believe her? Lilac glared accusingly at Timothy, certain that the whole thing was his fault. But she couldn't see anything on the turtle that proved he was behind all of this. Either he was very good at hiding his tracks or Timothy was as delusional as he was and had been duped along with the rest of the crowd. The Magister looked equally as defeated. What could he do? He couldn't give Lilac the benefit of the doubt, the crowd would accuse him of being a traitor and demand he be overthrown. He'd lose whatever respect he had and Shang Mu and Shuigang would never trust him again. The whole thing could become a scandal that could tear his kingdom apart. He didn't want to punish Lilac. But he had no choice. He would have to do just that in order to save himself, and even Lilac from the crowd's wrath. Sighing, The Magister held up his hands and the crowd fell silent.

"Very well...I shall." The Magister murmured, "I'll arrange a meeting with King Dail and Mayor Zao tomorrow morning. We shall decide on Lilac's punishment together. For tonight, she will remain in my custody until her sentence is ready to be delivered."

The crowd was pleased to hear this. Lilac and her friends were utterly horrified. How could The Magister do this?! He believed Lilac was innocent! He couldn't possibly do this!

"Magister please, you can't!" Lilac begged feebly, "You know I'm innocent! Don't do this please!"

"I'm sorry...but I have no choice." The Magister murmured sadly, "If I let you off without any proof that you're innocent, my kingdom's reputation could be in jeopardy. Nobody would trust me again and I'd be accused of orchestrating a scandal against the three kingdoms...it hurts me to have to do this...it really does."

He then turned to General Gong.

"Lock her up general." he ordered, "I shall decide on her fate along with Dail and Zao tomorrow."

"Yes sir..." mumbled Gong, looking none too happy about what he had to do.

Gong took Lilac firmly by the hand and led her inside, the crowd cheering as she was taken away. Lilac didn't resist. She allowed herself to be taken away. She was numb with grief and horror. She no longer had the strength to try defending herself or even break away. All she could do was cry, worried over what her fate was going to be. Carol, Milla, Miguel, Lela, Natalya and Neera Li all watched with despair. The injustice of it all! How could this be allowed to happen to Lilac?! Why had somebody ruined her reputation to the point the three leaders of the three kingdoms of Avalice were now going to decide how to punish her?! And what would they have to do in order to prove that Lilac was innocent once and for all? Never before had a situation looked so helpless. As Lilac was led into the dungeon, the Avalicians looked at each other in defeat, knowing that there was nothing they could do to save Lilac now. They could only hope that she would be given a merciful sentence...

* * *

_**This...does...not...look...good...Lilac's good again but nobody believes her. What will happen to her now? What will The Magister, Dail and Zao decide on when they meet up? What will Lilac's punishment be? Find out in the final chapter as we're given "Lilac's Sentence"...**_


	12. Chapter 12: Lilac's Sentence

_Chapter 12: Lilac's Sentence_

The next day dawn, grey and dull. The sky was an endless sea of grey, miserable clouds that threatened to pour it down with rain at any moment. It somehow seemed very fitting for what was coming. The Magister was not looking forward to today. Not in the slightest. Thanks to an enraged crowd, he had to decide with Dail and Zao on how to punish Lilac, even though she was innocent and what he should be doing was actually looking for the man who had corrupted her with the Dark Stone's energy. Using the Dark Stone in any shape or form was an act of treason so the man who had corrupted Lilac was the one who deserved to be arrested. But with no evidence to prove Lilac's innocence and no way of knowing who was behind all of this, the robed Avalician had no choice. He had to do this. Maybe with Lilac out of the way, the crowd would simmer down and then he'd be able to investigate on her behalf and with Lilac punished, the crowd wouldn't be too suspicious. And then once he found out the truth, he'd reveal it to the world and he'd lift Lilac's sentence. He liked the idea and hoped that the dragon would forgive him when that time came.

The Magister was sitting in his study with a cup and saucer on his lap. The cup was full of sweet tea, one of his favourite things to drink after breakfast. He had chosen his study as the perfect place to hold his meeting with King Dail of Shuigang and Mayor Zao of Shang Mu. The room was very cosy and inviting with peaceful looking tapestry that gave off a relaxed atmosphere on the walls and very comfortable chairs. Dail and Zao would feel right at home in this room. The Magister sipped some of his tea, allowing himself the luxury of a peaceful moment and to feel the warm aroma of the tea against his lips before his guests arrived. They'd be here soon and he wanted to be in a good frame of mind before the meeting began. He got ten minutes of peace before he received a knock on his door. It was Neera Li. She opened the door and stepped in, looking almost afraid to do so.

"Your guests are here your majesty." she said.

"Send them in please." The Magister ordered.

He set down his cup and saucer onto a table nearby as Neera disappeared behind the door. He watched as the door opened up again and in walked King Dail and Mayor Zao. As usual, the two pandas were wearing their trademark outfits and carrying their kingdom's colours. Dail looked as if he didn't want to be here whereas Zao looked thrilled at the idea of discussing Lilac's fate. He had been the first to believe that Lilac had turned bad when Lord Brevon and Natalya had sent her on a murderous rampage with the Dark Stone two weeks ago. His city was still recovering from the damages done to it by Dark Stone Dragon Lilac and in his mind, he felt justice was finally being served. The two walked up to The Magister and bowed before him.

"Many greetings Royal Magister." Dail said sullenly.

"Thanks for inviting me over." Zao added, purposefully forgetting Dail.

"Many greetings to you two as well. Please take a seat." The Magister said politely.

Dail and Zao obliged, sitting down on a chair each in front of The Magister. The meeting was now beginning. A minute passed before the Avalician whose face was constantly shrouded in shadows spoke.

"So…you two have probably heard the news regarding the Heroine of Avalice herself…" he said grimly.

"Sure have." muttered Dail.

"I did too!" Zao exclaimed, "That scoundrel dragon dared to demand I hand over my kingdom to her! Well I'm very happy that you was able to arrest her Magister! You did the right thing! Now let's get down to the wretched girl's punishment!"

**5+ PUNISHMENT**

"I for one refuse to give any input…" Dail sighed loudly, "I think everybody is a bunch of idiots! Can't they clearly see that Lilac was corrupted?!"

"She WAS corrupted." The Magister explained, "Somebody filled her with Dark Stone Energy. That was way she turned evil."

"A likely story!" Zao sniffed impatiently, "The Dark Stone was destroyed! Its energy can't possibly exist!"

"So by your crazy sense of logic, the Kingdom Stone's energy shouldn't exist either…" the green robed king snapped, "That was destroyed and yet it ended up changing form instead! The Dark Stone obviously did the same thing!"

"It must have done." The Magister agreed, "But even though I know Lilac's innocent and you rightfully believe so King Dail…we can't just let her off the hook."

"Why not?!" Dail snapped angrily.

"Because my kingdom accused me of being in on Lilac's "schemes"." the robed ruler murmured, "If I just let Lilac go with no evidence that she's innocent, this could stain the image of my kingdom. Your kingdoms would even doubt my trustworthiness and they might even get suspicious of you two, wondering if you're as "bad" as I am…the whole thing could somehow look like some kind of national scandal. Also Lilac's image won't be fixed since people will just see me as a traitor working for her. So like it or not…we have to sentence the girl for our sakes."

"YOUR sake more like!" the panda growled, "I can't believe you're being so selfish and putting yourself above Lilac!"

"Calm down Dail!" yelled Zao, "That's no way to talk to the Magister! Besides, who cares about that traitor of a dragon? All she wants is to take over the world!"

"LILAC ISN'T EVIL!" Dail bellowed.

"And you have proof of this?" the red panda sneered.

"I don't need proof! Anybody with a brain can see that she's innocent but I guess I'm the only one smart enough to see that!" the king snarled, "I'm also the only one who gives a damn about her too it seems!"

"Only because she saved you from the Red Scarves the other day." Zao sighed, uninterested, "You didn't think for a minute that she pretended to do that just to fool you into thinking she's good?"

"She'd never do that! Why would she do that after she took out the man who murdered my father?!"

"Poppycock. That was just a made-up story to cover Lilac's behind. I can't believe you believe that nonsense!"

"You're so pompous, arrogant and idiotic!" Dail shouted, his face turning red.

"You're one to talk Mr. "I-think-Lilac's-innocent-because-I-say-so"!" Zao retorted.

"BOTH OF YOU, THAT'S ENOUGH!" The Magister bellowed.

The two pandas recoiled, amazed at the power of The Magister's voice. His single shout had come out of him like a thunderclap. It was clear that you didn't make The Magister angry or he would scare you to death with his powerful voice. Now that the room was silent, The Magister spoke.

"I understand your frustration King Dail but hear me out." he explained, "Once the crowd simmers down after Lilac's punishment, I am going to secretly investigate this matter. If the crowd is happy with Lilac being punished, they won't suspect a thing. I'll be able to find proof that she's innocent and then we can reveal it to the world. Once the world sees the truth, we can overturn her sentence and everything will be fixed."

"I damn well hope that Lilac's in a forgiving mood…" the panda growled softly.

"Well I don't mind you going on your little scavenger hunt for evidence you won't find to prove she's innocent because she's not." Zao sneered, "I can't bother to waste my time doing that kind of nonsense. I need to prepare for the elections next week. I may well lose my title as mayor if I'm not prepared."

"I can't say I'll lose any sleep over that…" Dail sighed, "Shang Mu would be better without you as a mayor you shrimp-sized egotist…"

"Ooooooooh how dare you!" the short-heighted mayor grumbled indignantly, "Just for that, you're not allowed in Shang Mu anymore you haughty little child!"

"Fine with me." sniffed Dail.

"Please don't start again…" The Magister sighed in annoyance.

"Don't worry, we won't…" the king said coldly, "I'm leaving this stupid meeting. I refuse to give Lilac a sentence she doesn't deserve. If anybody asks, just tell them that I agreed to whatever it was you decide on! But don't think I'm happy with this injustice…Shuigang will sever all ties with Shang Tu and Shang Mu until Lilac's sentence is lifted and I mean that! I trust neither of you two will object?"

The blue and red rulers shook their heads. They could understand why Dail was being so adamant and The Magister even felt he deserved this for what he was going to do. With that settled, Dail stormed out of the room but he politely closed the door, not wanting to slam it. It wasn't his business to damage The Magister's property and he certainly didn't want a bill coming his way. Now Dail was gone, Zao turned to The Magister.

"So my opulent friend, what shall Lilac's sentence be?" the mayor asked, "We can't sentence her to death since we don't do that anymore. Not that I want to, I mean even I'M not that cruel…it'd be horrible to execute her despite the good deeds she did in the past."

"Indeed." the robed Avalician murmured, "I don't think we can keep her locked up anywhere for the populace might start worrying that she'll break free and reek vengeance on us all. I want the populace to calm down about her."

"So what do you suggest?" Zao questioned.

The Magister's eyes became harder and colder as he made his decision. He didn't like it but he knew that it was the most Lilac deserved. It was merciful and she'd still have her well-deserved freedom despite the sentence. He sighed.

"I suggest we give her a sentence that we don't often give out…" he replied.

Zao nodded. He knew what The Magister meant. And he felt that Lilac deserved a sentence like this. Not many people had been given a sentence like this and he was surprised that Lilac herself was going to get it. At the time he never would have thought it possible. It was even unthinkable. And yet it was happening and Zao was pleased. The Magister however looked as if he'd never, ever forgive himself for it…he was glad that King Dail had walked out. He wouldn't have to live with himself for this decision like he was going to…

* * *

Lilac had spent the worst night of her entire life locked up in a cold, lonely cell in The Magister's dungeon. She hadn't been granted the luxury of sleeping in Natalya's cell which is unfortunate for her. Sleeping in that cell would have at least given her a way of staying close to her adopted mother. The bed in her cell was comfortable but Lilac had been too depressed to feel comfortable. She'd barely slept a wink last night and now she felt tired and miserable. All she'd been able to think about were her friends and how sad they would be without her. She'd also worried all night about her sentence. What was going to happen to her? How would she be punished? Whatever it was, Lilac hoped that The Magister would regret it and turn it over later. She was angry with the fact that the people of Avalice still believed she was evil and refused to believe the truth. How could they do this to her?! After all she'd done no less?! Lilac began to wonder if she even had any like for her people anymore. They'd been horrible towards her so should she still show any love for them? Maybe. If she grew to hate them, they'd only have more reasons to dislike her. Lilac sighed as she sat on her bed, her eyes heavy and sore from crying so much. She wanted to be home. She wanted her friends again. But she was being unfairly denied those luxuries. Why had this happened to her? What had she ever done to deserve this injustice? Did fate hate her or something. Lilac wasn't sure but she began to feel as if life had a grudge against her for some unexplainable reason.

Then suddenly, the door of her cell was opened up and General Gong peeked in, looking very sad as if what was about to happen was something he greatly disapproved of, which in a way, he did.

"It's time…" he sighed.

Lilac nodded, her stomach tightening as she got up from the bed and walked out of the cell. Gong led the dragon up out of the dungeon and outside the palace. It was still very grey outside and it looked as if it was going to rain. Lilac glanced up at the clouds, feeling as if they were sharing her despair. If it rained, it'd be like the clouds were crying for her. The day couldn't possibly have looked more sad and depressing even if it tried to. Lilac could see that her friends had been allowed to attend this faithful meeting. They deserved to know what the dragon's punishment was going to be. The populace of Shang Tu was also there, eager to hear what Lilac's sentence was. Timothy was at the front of the crowd as if he wanted a front row view of the whole thing. He was clearly going to savour this moment and it made Lilac sick to her stomach to see it. How could this horrible man be so eager to see her getting sentenced? If she ever saw Timothy again, she'd break his nose. She still blamed him for what was going on and her reputation being destroyed. He was the one who had started the whole doubting thing by bad-mouthing her and declaring that dragons are evil. It had to be his fault. And to her disgust, the old windbag was getting what he wanted. Lilac ignored Timothy and stood before The Magister. She felt more like she was staring at a Grim Reaper and waiting for the scythe to swish through the air towards her neck any moment now. The Magister didn't look particularly pleased to be here. He looked as if he wished the whole thing was a bad dream and that he would soon wake up and it'd all be forgotten about. The crowd held its breath as the axe was about to fall. Carol, Milla, Miguel, Lela and Natalya watched with baited breath, wondering what was going to become of their beloved dragon. Carol and Milla were on the verge of tears. Miguel and Lela looked as if they didn't know what to do and Natalya was silently praying for Lilac and wondering what Dawn and Stephen would think if they could see this now. The Magister stood before Lilac and spoke.

"Sash Lilac." he boomed, "You stand before this crowd in order to receive your sentence."

"Please Magister, don't punish me." Lilac begged, "I'll prove that I'm innocent, if you just give me a chance to prove myself, I'll be happy and we both win! Please don't do this!"

"I'm afraid I have no choice…" The Magister sighed, "I'm sorry. But I've conversed with King Dail of Shuigang and Mayor Zao of Shang Mu and we've decided what your punishment shall be."

The crowd oohed with pleasure. They couldn't wait to hear what the sentence was. The Magister remained silent for a tense moment before speaking.

"It breaks my heart to say this…" he announced, "But Lilac, with no evidence to prove your innocence, we have no choice but to sentence you. And via a unanimous decision, we sentence you to life…in exile. You are forbidden from ever entering the three kingdoms and their surrounding territories. Dragon Valley included since each bit of land is technically owned by each kingdom."

The crowd exploded into applause, thinking that Lilac's sentence was perfectly reasonable and well-deserved. Lilac on the other hand looked as if she was going to have a heart-attack. Her chest and stomach tightened and the world seemed to spin around her. She was having trouble breathing. Exile?! That was probably the worst sentence she could've received! She'd heard about people who were sentenced to life in exile. Many of them died or went insane with grief and loneliness. Only a handful had ever survived. How could The Magister dare do this to her?! She'd rather have been sentenced to life in prison than exile! Her friends looked horrified to hear that this was their friend's punishment. They would never see Lilac again because of it. Lilac threw herself down onto her knees and began to sob, clutching the Magister's robe and pleading at him with her tear soaked eyes.

"NOOOOOOOOO! No, no, no! Please, you can't!" she howled, "You can't exile me! Please give me a chance to prove myself! I'll do anything to prove I'm innocent! Please don't exile me! Please!"

"I'm sorry…but the decision has been made and the sentence has been given…" The Magister said solemnly, "Forgive me Lilac…I'm not at all happy with the decision…but I have no other choice."

Lilac could see that The Magister was being serious. Her sentence had been given. She was to live her life in exile, no longer allowed to live in her own home or traverse through any of the kingdoms. Unable to control herself, Lilac lowered her head into her hands and sobbed her heart out. Her wails were the most depressing sounds that anybody could ever, ever hear. As she cried, the crowd suddenly began to lose their delight and began staring at the dragon with something close to pity in their eyes. Her sobs were enough to make them doubt if they were right to lambaste her. Had they been too hard on her? Were they wrong about her after all? It was too late to be sorry now. Even Timothy now looked as if he was sorry this was happening. After all, he actually liked dragons and it made his heart ache with grief to think that he'd been working with Memphis to allow this to happen to her. He'd never, ever forgive himself for this horrible deed. After a minute, Lilac raised her head, her eyes still streaming with tears as she gazed into The Magister's eyes.

"Can I at least say goodbye to my friends?" she whimpered.

"Of course…make it quick." The Magister murmured.

Lilac stood up and walked over to her friends. They were all crying too, even Natalya although she was more subdued compared to the wailing Carol and Milla. Lilac walked up to the dog and cat first and hugged them both tenderly.

"Goodbye Carol and Milla…it's been awesome spending my life with you two…" Lilac whispered, holding back her tears.

G-G-Goodbye…" sobbed Carol, "I-I'm g-gonna m-miss you s-so much!"

"It w-w-won't b-b-be the s-s-same without y-y-you!" howled Milla, "I don't want you to go!"

"I'm sorry…but I have to." said Lilac sadly, "I've been sentenced. I have no choice…"

She hugged the two as if this was the last time she was ever going to hug them. She allowed the cat and dog to cry into her shoulders before she moved onto Miguel and Lela. The two were in tears themselves. Lilac had done so much good for them. It was because of her that Milla ever found them again. Lilac hugged the two hounds as they wept for her.

"Oh Lilac…it isn't fair!" Lela cried.

"You've done nothing wrong! You don't deserve this!" sobbed Miguel, "Our poor Milla's going to be so heartbroken without you…"

"My heart's already broken…" Lilac said, her voice wobbly, "Goodbye Mr. and Mrs. Basset. I hope you'll manage without me…"

Miguel and Lela nodded and hugged Lilac tightly. Now they were done, Lilac walked over to Natalya. The red-eyed dragon was in tears but she was in control of herself. She wasn't sobbing loudly, just letting tears trickle down her face. Lilac hugged her adopted mother, sad to think that she'd only just been adopted yesterday and now was leaving her forever.

"Goodbye Natalya…" the teen-dragon said, "I'll never forget you…I'll always be grateful to you for turning good and willing to make up for what you did."

"Goodbye my special little Lilac…" Natalya whimpered, "You'll always be in my heart…just as Dawn is. I hope this won't be the last we'll see of each other…"

"Me too…me too…" Lilac sobbed.

With the goodbyes now over and done with, there was only one thing left to do. Glancing at her friends one last time, Lilac let some more tears escape from her eyes before turning around and preparing to go. She curled up into a ball and Dragon-Boosted off into the distance, leaving Shang Tu behind forever as she left to live out her life in exile. Carol watched Lilac leave, almost wanting to run after her. As her friend disappeared, the wildcat wailed loudly and threw herself down onto her knees. Tears rained down from her eyes and the grieving wildcat felt as if she'd never be able to stop. The crowd wasn't sure if they should cheer or feel sorry for Lilac. True she deserved this sentence but they couldn't be so heartless as to celebrate it in front of her grieving friends could they? Also Lilac seemed awfully upset about being exiled. Hardly appropriate behaviour for a villainess. It could be another trick but this time, the crowd wasn't sure. Timothy on the other hand had promptly stormed off, no longer wishing to stick around. He was disgusted with himself and wanted to leave. How could he have helped Memphis achieve this wicked goal? He should never have agreed to this. Carol sobbed for a few moments before suddenly springing back up and pointing accusingly at the crowd. The Basset family and Natalya gasped, wondering what Carol was going to do now.

"Well I hope you assholes are happy!" the wildcat ranted, "I've lost my best friend forever and all because of you idiots thinking she's bad! You've wrecked my life and took away the one person I love more than anybody in the world! You've all just proven something today…Lilac isn't the traitor. YOU ARE! All of you are! And I hope you're all sorry for your ingratitude towards Lilac! If Lilac never forgives you for this…then don't you dare come crying to me! You don't deserve her forgiveness you ungrateful bastards!"

With that said, Carol turned on her heels and stormed off, crying once again as she headed off back to the treehouse. The treehouse that she would now occupy without her draconian best friend. The hounds and Natalya decided it would be best if they left as well. They had no reason to stay any longer so they followed the weeping wildcat back home. As they left, the crowd of Shang Tu could only murmur amongst themselves, taking in Carol's rant and wondering if indeed they had gone too far. But most of the crowd members were angry with Carol for insulting him and saying that they were the traitors just for wanting Lilac to be punished. The Magister shook his head and walked back into the Royal Palace. He'd had enough and he wanted a moment to sit down and think about what he'd done. He'd exiled Lilac and broke the hearts of five Avalicians that had done good deeds for the world alongside Lilac and a reformed criminal who had willingly orchestrated last night's raid to try and save Lilac. And all because he couldn't prove she was innocent and had to put the people before her to prove he wasn't a traitor too. This was the worst day of his life and he would never, ever live it down…

* * *

Meanwhile, Lilac had run a very far distance away from Shang Tu and had decided to stop and rest for a moment. She was in a forest that was outside the borders of all three kingdoms and didn't belong to either of them. The trees were tall and looked very beautiful with their bluish-green leaves and pale brown bark. This was known as the Forest of Shards. It was so called because the trees often contained crystal shards in their bark. Nobody knew how that was possible but the trees were obviously magical in nature so nobody had dared try to explain it. The reason the forest didn't belong to any of the kingdoms was because the three had once fought over the shards in the forest. The resulting fight had ended up nearly destroying it all. In order to save it, the kingdoms had decided that nobody got it and thus, hadn't claimed ownership of the forest. Lilac would be allowed to reside there. The teen-dragon sat down near a tree and tucked her knees up to her chest. She was still crying, her face soaked with tears and her eyes red from so much crying. She didn't think she'd be able to stop, not matter how hard she tried.

She allowed her mind to settle for a moment as she took in everything that had happened lately. Timothy Turtle accusing her, Shuigang being distrusting towards her briefly, her attempts at fixing her reputation by fighting off Spade and saving King Dail and also her late night visit to Natalya. It was hard to believe those events ended up leading to her current position. The seeds of doubt being sown after pictures of her and Natalya had been taken and shown on the news, banishing Carol for giving Timothy an excuse to complain about her, going to look for Carol and then finally, the Dark Stone Energy being sprayed in her face and her horrific turn to evil that had led to this. Sentenced to life in exile. She'd saved the world from Lord Brevon twice and had saved Christmas…and this was how she was repaid. Treated like a pariah, feared for no reason and now banished from Avalice's three kingdoms and her own home. She'd never see Carol, Milla, Miguel, Lela or Natalya ever again. She'd never be allowed to live in civilization and never allowed to belong to the world she'd once lived in. She was destined to live in the wilderness for all eternity. Lilac was already missing her friends. Fond memories of playing merrily with Carol and Milla, doing chores with Miguel and Lela and the lovely time she'd spent with Natalya yesterday all danced in her mind. Happy memories, but memories that no longer made her happy and joyful as she'd never experience them again.

Sniffing, Lilac lowered her head into her knees and cried once more. She was alone with nobody to comfort her and nobody to dry away her tears. There was nobody to even hear her grief. Just the silent and still trees that surrounded her. Lilac just sobbed, unable to believe that this was happening to her and unsure if she would ever be able to survive her life in exile…

* * *

Elsewhere, Timothy Turtle stormed into his house, his face full of rage and disgust as he entered. He had been a grouchy old man all his life but somehow, he seemed angrier than he'd ever been in all his life. He looked as if he was about to explode any moment now. As he entered the house, he saw just the person that he had been expecting to see standing before him in his living room. Memphis the Dragon was here as usual but for some reason, he was no longer wearing his robes. He'd discarded them in favour of his usual attire. Memphis was now wearing a golden brown shirt and a blue vest coat that was trimmed in cold and had dragon faces on each side of the chest area. He wore blue boots that looked very similar to Lilac's and he wore a gold necklace and gold belt. He also wore a single ring on his left index finger. It was platinum gold and sparkled brilliantly. The clothes suited his rather aristocratic personality and life style and yet made him look athletic and powerful at the same time. His arms were bare, exposing some rather extravagant looking flame tattoos that started at the wrist and ended near his shoulders. He wore the tattoos as a symbol of dedication to the fire dragon race. Lilac, Dawn and Stephen were all water dragon but he was the more traditional fire-breathing kind and the flame tattoos were meant to make that very clear. With his robes discarded, Timothy could also see that like all dragons, Memphis had a tendril. His split in two at the end, making it look as if he had a giant snake's tongue glued to the back of his head and his tendril had an unusual feature. It was able to move on its own like an extra limb. Timothy could see the tendril waving mockingly at him as Memphis smiled, not at all bothered by the turtle's angry face. Timothy pointed straight at him.

"Memphis! Now you've done it! Your own niece has been sentenced to life in exile because of me and you! I bloody well hope you're happy you vile, wicked creature!" the turtle ranted, leaping up and down in a comical manner, "Had I know that you was planning to do this, I never would have signed up for this! I'll never forgive you for this farce!"

"Forgiveness is a waste of time and words my dear Timothy." Memphis purred, his fingers drumming up and down on his energy conductor, "I don't expect you to forgive me for this. After all, it's what I planned. I wanted my brat of a niece exiled so that I can take over Avalice without her interfering with my plans. And you've done your part most beautifully. I'm satisfied and that's all that matters."

"You know if I really DID hate dragons, I'd be riling everybody up against you instead of Lilac!" Timothy snarled, "You're the one who deserves life in exile and not her!"

"Oh do be quiet before I decide to waste you." sighed Memphis, clearly uninterested in Timothy's threats "And believe me, I'm not finished with you yet so don't make me have to kill you."

"If you say so…" the old reptile grumbled, "So what's next then?"

"With Lilac out of the way, we can move onto Phase 2." Memphis crowed, admiring the Dark Stone Energy swirling around in his energy conductor, "You will sign up for next week's elections in Shang Mu and win the crowd over. Get them to vote for you so you'll become the new mayor. And then you will give your title to me and my reign will finally begin."

"But what if I don't win the elections?" Timothy protested.

"Oh I intend to make sure that happens…" the red-scaled dragon gloated, "Maybe rig the elections to make sure you do win…either way you cannot lose next week."

Memphis then strode up to an old antique mirror that looked as if it would have belonged to a castle that was centuries old. He admired himself, pleased with his well-toned body and handsome appearance. His clothes complimented his figure. He was very proud of his appearance and he smiled dashingly as if trying to make his own reflection fawn over him.

"For too long has the dragon race been denied its rightful place in the world. But now that's going to change…" he sneered, "Once I become Mayor of Shang Mu…ha, ha, ha…I'll become the most powerful Avalician in the world. Avalice will worship me…and nobody will be able to get in my way. Especially…darling Lilac herself…"

He cackled menacingly at his reflection, delighted with himself. His beautiful plan had worked to perfection and now in a week's time, he was going to get what he wanted. Life was so wonderful to him and Memphis intended to make the most of it when he became ruler of Shang Mu. Avalice would never be prepared for this but he didn't care. He'd gotten his own niece, the only real threat to his rule, exiled from the three kingdoms. She couldn't stop him. Even his ex-girlfriend wouldn't be able to stop him should she ever find out. He wondered what Natalya would think if she could see him now. Very angry probably. But Memphis didn't mind. He didn't care if the populace respected him. He wanted power…and a week from now…he was going to get it…

* * *

_**Behold, the saddest ending to a Mixedfan8643 story you're EVER going to see!**_

_**Well, that's the end of **_**The Darkest Day_. I hope you all enjoyed it and I sure hope you're not too mad at the ending...not every story has a happy ending you know._**

**_Tune in to my next story "Life in Exile" as we deal with Lilac's life in exile and see how she'll cope with the loneliness and if she'll ever get a chance to make Memphis pay for what he's done to her. See you then readers! ^^_**


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